


Star Wars Episode I: Birth of a Jedi

by RazorBlazer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Canon, Canon Rewrite, Clone Wars, Coruscant (Star Wars), F/M, Prequel, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-04-11 22:19:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 49,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19118824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazorBlazer/pseuds/RazorBlazer
Summary: After a thousand generations, the Sith return to retrieve the ancient kyber crystals the last Dark Lord used to harness weapons of mass destruction.After Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi mysteriously disappears, his overconfident apprentice Nabi Freedom searches for him, traveling to the junkyard planet Lotho Minor where she meets a former Jedi Anakin Skywalker. (Completed, 2019)





	1. Prologue

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

 

 

**STAR WARS EPISODE I**

BIRTH OF A JEDI

 

 

**PROLOGUE:**

Life… was where the **Force** began. Where it was nurtured and spread across the stars to bind all living things together...

The **Jedi** were the first to discover the Force, and they used its energy to aid the helpless and make peace with the violent...

However, some Jedi used the Force to empower themselves and _only_ themselves. They abandoned the Jedi Order and formed their own. They were known as the **Sith**. Using the dark side of the Force, the Sith ravaged civilizations, conquering countless star systems to form the grandest empire the galaxy had ever seen...

The Jedi eventually abandoned their peaceful ways to wage a full-scale war against the Sith Empire. For countless generations, zillions of souls perished. Hundreds upon thousands of worlds were laid waste. Neither side could gain the upper hand. The bloodshed was endless...

But, the Dark Lord uncovered a new way to defeat the Jedi and end the war once and for all. He collected **kyber crystals** , known for powering lightsabers. But the crystals he collected were of the rarest and most ancient kind, possessing enough power to destroy entire worlds and reduce them to dust...

After many centuries, the Dark Lord fell, and his empire did as well. The Sith disbanded. And the Jedi prevailed, finally ending the war and restoring peace to the galaxy...

But, the kyber crystals the Dark Lord collected were never found. Over the centuries, Jedi scoured across the edges of the galaxy in search of the lost crystals. Some returned empty handed, while others were never seen again...

The kyber crystals are still out there, deep within the recesses of our galaxy. No one may ever find them. But as time passes, forces of both light and darkness inch ever closer. Eager to possess a power no soul has ever held. A power that can instantly change all life as we know it…

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This will be a complete re-imagining of George Lucas' Star Wars prequels. It will not resemble the plots of any of those three episodes. But, it will adhere to what the fabled original trilogy established for the prequels. And for any fans of writer/director Dave Filoni's The Clone Wars series, you may find a great many similarities between these stories and various episodes of the beloved series, in addition to the appearances of characters from the series. My re-imagining of the prequels was heavily inspired by The Clone Wars. If it had not been for Dave Filoni and his talented writing team, I wouldn't have had the spark to come up with these stories. My goal was to take the best ideas of the actual prequels and the best ideas of The Clone Wars and combine them together into a trilogy that may have been better.
> 
> I do not take any credit for the ideas in these stories. I must express my complete gratitude towards Dave Filoni, George Lucas, and all of the writers of Lucasfilm for giving me the inspiration to write something new, yet familiar. And finally I must thank you reader for taking the time out of your day to check this out.
> 
> May the Force be with you... always...


	2. Ohnaka's Crew - Scum and Villainy

-A THOUSAND GENERATIONS LATER-

 

 

 

**1\. SWEET UNBRIDLED JUSTICE**

The remnants of an old vessel tumbles across the stars. What was once a solid, wholesome shell now withers as a cracked and splintered skeleton.

Two small dark-grey freighters hover a short distance away from the wreckage. One of the freighter's pilots ‒ a brown, crusty-skinned Weequay ‒ rests his chin on his wrinkled palm. He tiredly watches a hologram playback of a Twi'lek dancer elegantly twirling her body. Drool slowly drips from the Weequay's dry mouth as he taps a button in front of his navicomputer.

"Have ya found anything?" his rough voice mumbles.

Outside the ship, a scavenger in a dirty, pockmarked space suit floats amidst the vessel's wreckage. His jetpack smoothly pushes him through the forest of debris as if he was swimming underwater. The scavenger responds.

"Nothin'," his grim voice grumbles.

Still watching the Twi'lek, the Weequay sighs and wipes the drool dripping from his mouth.

He taps the navicomputer again, "Let's head back. I ain't waitin' anymore. I've got better things to do with my time."

"Can't wait to hit it with that dancer?" another, more exuberant man chimes in through the comm.

The Weequay slowly turns his head to the other freighter next to him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the Weequay scowls at its pilot.

Inside the other freighter, a young and tall Human man wearing goggles fuses two pipes together. A stained blue astromech droid hands the man a wrench as he chuckles at the Weequay's aggression.

"Hey. I'm just sayin', Thum. I don't blame you for feelin' a bit ancy. The Twi'lek species have some of the most gorgeous women in the galaxy. You know, I dated one a few years back."

The Weequay Thum asks, "Huh. What happened to her?"

The human sighs, "Well, she was taken from me. I didn't realize she was a slave until some bigwig took out a chip from her head. It's a shame that some people don't know how to genuinely love someone. Instead, they have to buy it just like you did. Well, let's face it…"

The man looks at Thum's wrinkly, coarse skin.

"...that's the only way you can get laid," he continues.

Thum spits out, "You damn mongrel! I'm gonna tear you apart when we get back! I will! Ya hear me, Anakin?!"

The human Anakin removes his goggles, "I hear you. I hear you. But, you may also have to tear down my bed… cause your dancer tore mine up pretty good last night. Oh… and she also said I'm a better kisser than you, but maybe that's 'cause I actually have lips."

The Weequay feels his naturally lipless mouth and yells, "You… BASTARD!"

Thum turns his freighter towards Anakin's, gripping onto the cannon triggers.

Anakin smirks and looks back at his blue astromech droid, "NOW R2!"

The astromech droid shoves his scomp link into the ship's terminal, and the ship blasts past Thum's freighter at full speed.

"Kid, what are you doing?!" the scavenger floating outside yells through Anakin's comm unit.

"Oh, I'm just givin' this shriveled nutsack a taste of sweet, unbridled justice!"

Anakin laughs, looking back at Thum's freighter – hot on his tail. Thum yells out as he shoots a barrage of blaster bolts at Anakin's ship. Anakin swerves into the vessel's shipwreck, dodging all of Thum's bolts. Thum swerves into the shipwreck as well, still trying to shoot down Anakin. But, each of his blaster bolts hits a piece of debris from the wreckage.

Anakin seamlessly maneuvers his freighter past any piece of debris. Thum struggles to keep up, narrowly avoiding collisions with the debris. As an opening clears between them, Thum's targeting computer locks onto Anakin's ship. The Weequay shoots at him again, but Anakin weaves his ship to the right.

"Missed me!" Anakin grins.

Thum groans and shoots towards the right. But, Anakin weaves back to the left.

Thum slams his fist and grunts, "Hold still, ya mongrel!"

Suddenly, Anakin pulls back on his ship's acceleration, falling behind Thum and double backing.

"You gotta keep up, man!" Anakin shouts.

Thum circles his freighter around, still trying to shoot down the unhittable Anakin. Once Thum's primary cannons overheat, Anakin slows down and pulls back his freighter next to Thum's.

"Overheated?" Anakin sarcastically asks.

Thum wrenches his ship towards Anakin's, attempting to sideswipe him. But, Anakin easily barrel rolls over him.

"Let me help you cool down," Anakin presses a button on R2.

A holographic recording of Thum's dancing Twi'lek projects from the droid's camera. Thum's eyes drop as the Twi'lek crawls on top of a holographic Anakin. The Twi'lek then proceeds to dance above Anakin's lap, rubbing her lips across his mesmerized face. The recording abruptly disappears, revealing the face of the real Anakin winking back at Thum.

Thum immediately yells out, steering his ship right towards Anakin's. But Anakin instantly drops his ship, revealing a metal wall careening towards Thum. The wall and Thum's freighter collide and explode into pieces while Anakin smugly basks at the ball of fire.

Next, Anakin hovers his freighter beside the scavenger now floating outside the shipwreck. The scavenger floats towards the freighter's roof where a hatch opens. He slips inside and removes his helmet, revealing a shaggy, unkempt face of a near middle-aged man.

"How ya doin', Owen?" Anakin asks the shaggy man. "Was space lookin' real hot today?"

Owen scowls at Anakin with a grim expression, "Was that really necessary?"

Anakin chuckles, "What? With Thum? Hell yeah! One less piece of scum in this galaxy thanks to yours truly."

Anakin snidely smirks at Owen. Owen rolls his eyes and shakes his head as Anakin pilots the ship towards a large cruiser in the distance.

* * *

**2.** **NOT SCHUTTA LIKE YOU**

A black Ginivex-class starfighter blasts out of hyperspace. It idly hovers as Anakin's freighter enters a distant cruiser's hangar bay. The fan-bladed Ginivex takes off towards the cruiser, soon entering its hangar as well. Pirates inside the hangar bay turn and look up at the Ginivex-class retracting its red solar sail.

"Were we expecting someone besides the scavengers?" one pirate asks another.

"I don't think so. Someone, go check the guest list!" the other pirate orders.

The Ginivex lands on an open pad; smoke puffs out of its exhaust ports beside the exit doors. A landing ramp extends out to the floor of the hangar bay. Pirates gather at the bottom of the ramp, tightening the muzzles on their blasters. The Ginivex's doors slide open, and a dark hooded silhouette appears amidst the smoke. The pirates squint with suspicion as the hooded figure slowly steps down the ramp. A pirate with a holopad steps towards the figure.

"Can I help you?" the pirate inspects the hooded figure's black lipstick.

"Where's Captain Ohnaka?" a woman's voice barks from beneath the hood.

The pirate looks down at the list on his holopad.

"He's not expecting anyone," he says.

"We have a transaction to complete," the hooded woman states.

"Oh…, and what kind of transaction would this be? An infected one?" the pirate asks.

"What?" the hooded woman's yellow eyes squint at him.

"I've seen you types before," the pirate points at her,"...and I ain't about to let some transmitted virus get everyone sick here!"

"We only accept slaves. Not schutta like you!" another pirate yells.

"Yeah," the first pirate nods. "So, why don't you turn your stanky heine around and go nag on another fool's pockets!"

All the pirates laugh at the hooded woman. Suddenly, the first pirate starts to lift off the floor. His entire body levitates in the air. The other pirates back away, gasping.

"What?! What's happening?! Get me down from here!" the levitating pirate squeals. "Is this a kriffing prank?! This ain't funny guys! Put me down, now!"

In a quick instant, the man's arms twist around by themselves. The man screams as his biceps tear through the bone. Then, both of his feet start to turn around, snapping his ankles. Next, his knees crack, his back snaps, and his legs slowly rise behind him. His head starts to turn a complete one-hundred eighty degrees. Then his spinal cord snaps, and his body drops to the floor. All of the pirates stare at his folded up corpse.

The hooded woman coldly stares at all of them. She frigidly walks forward, stepping over the pretzeled-up corpse. Nobody dares to even glimpse at her.

* * *

**3.** **RUM TO DRANK AND WOMEN TO BE WITH**

An eccentric band jazzes up a smoky, dim cantina filled with the most depraved scoundrels of the sector. Everywhere filthy scumbags and run-away bastards live merrily and drink their hearty rum. Some collapse to the ground, passed out drunk. Others smack each other in the face, crash through tables, and wrestle on the floor. Enclosed inside ray shields, scantily-clad prostitutes dance in front of the perverts who willingly throw credits at them.

At numerous tables, crooks bet their credits in a game of sabacc. Hardier gamblers bet their credits on a match between two bloody, bare-knuckled brawlers. All the while, the shaggy Owen observes the fight from his own private booth. He lights up a pipe of spice.

"Dumbasses," he shakes his head at the brawlers pounding each other's heads.

Owen turns around and sees a Twi'lek sensually kissing Anakin on the couch in front of him. The orange Twi'lek's petite body blankets over Anakin. Her purple lips gently smother his smooth, clean-shaven face.

"Do you wanna carry this over to the room?" Anakin asks. "I'll meet you there in a bit."

" _Ka_ ," the Twi'lek nods and kisses Anakin once more before leaving the booth.

Anakin leans forward and pours himself a glass of rum. Owen puffs out a dense cloud of smoke.

"So...," Owen starts, "...have you thought of how we're gonna sell all the Black Sun's spice?"

Anakin downs his glass of rum instantly. He gulps and scrunches his face before responding.

"Well, I guess we could sell a quarter, or… maybe half to Hondo. He's been good to us so far. Then, I guess we could sell the other half to… the Pykes. Yeah, let's do that. With the money we'd get, I'd finally be able to afford that Corellian Yacht I eyed off Bozna."

He smiles and leans forward to pour another glass while Owen scoffs.

"A yacht?!" Owen leans forward. "Damn it, Anakin. Are you drunk already?"

Anakin dumps down his second glass and says, "No."

"This is serious, kid," Owen asserts. "You don't realize we've taken the biggest score any two people have taken! And I know that the Black Sun has already put a price on our heads that's probably triple the spice's worth!"

Pretending to listen, Anakin nods and dumps down a third glass of rum.

"I say," Owen continues, "we split the spice up and assume different aliases. Sell it to people we haven't dealt with before; at most, into tenths. And then pack our things and split 'cause those bounty hunters are comin' straight here."

"What?" Anakin slurs. "Y-you wanna leave… Hondo?"

"We have no choice, kid! In fact, maybe we should split before we start sellin' cause those hunters come by fast."

"But, I don't wanna leave, Ow-en," Anakin slurs. "This my home. I gotta women to be with and… rum to drank."

Anakin gulps down another glass of rum. His eyelids struggle to stay open.

Owen stands up and tells Anakin, "You wanna stay here and die, be my guest. But I…, I ain't dealin' with this life no more. I'm done, Anakin."

Owen walks away.

"Ow-en," Anakin stands up and tries to walk after him. "Ow-en! Way! Whaddya-

Anakin trips over and falls to the ground. His bottle of rum smashes across the floor.

"Blast!" he groans, trying to get up again.

But his surroundings are completely blurry. He rubs his eyes and sits back up, noticing a dark hooded figure talking to the bartender.

* * *

**4\. CAPTAIN OHNAKA**

The hooded figure leaves and heads up a stairwell. She reaches a dark hallway and heads left, passing by a few doors where faint erotic moans call out to her. Once she reaches the last door, she slowly raises her gloved hand. The door slides open, revealing an oddly decorated room filled with knock-off trinkets and several opened bottles of rum. At the center of the room lies a wide, king-sized bed with two prostitutes giggling on top of an old Weequay.

"Ow! That area is off limits!" the old Weequay chuckles beneath a red blanket.

The hooded figure steps inside the room.

"Captain Ohnaka!" she yells.

The old Weequay immediately sits up from the blanket.

"What?! Huh?! Who's there?!" he demands.

"I have the payment you requested," the hooded woman states. "Five million credits in exchange for the crystal."

"Five million credits?" Ohnaka blinks. "Who are you supposed to be again?"

Hondo grabs his red jacket and slips it over his wrinkly skin as the hooded woman responds.

"My associate had spoken to you three months ago about the purchase of the kyber crystal."

"What? A what crystal?" Ohnaka pours himself a glass of rum.

The hooded woman cocks her head.

"Kyber crystal...," she recites slowly. "The one you discovered in the Utapau System."

"Utapau…," the Weequay scratches his rough chin. "Well, I don't remember this 'crystal.' But, I do remember we went to Utapau not long ago and lifted this large, green rock from the ocean. That took a helluva time to lift."

The captain offers the hooded woman a glass of rum.

"Where is it?" she ignores his offer.

"Huh? Oh, you mean the big green thing?"

Hondo dumps both shots down his mouth.

"I sold it," he gulps.

"WHAT?!" the hooded woman steps forward.

"They offered me a very good deal. A handsome price," the captain reminisces.

The hooded woman grabs him by the collar and whips his body to the floor.

"Where is the kyber crystal?!" she chokes him.

The prostitutes scream and dash out of the room.

"I-I already told you," the captain gags. "I sold-

"To who?!" the woman demands.

"Now, _that_ requires some extra...," Hondo rubs his fingers.

The woman smacks him across the face, "Tell me!"

Hondo pleads, "Okay. Okay! I-I sold it to this monk man. He said he was… Jedi."

"THE JEDI?!" the woman raises her voice.

Hondo's prostitutes points a gang of pirates towards the bedroom. The pirates rush down the hallway and aim their blasters at the hooded woman choking their captain's scrawny neck.

"Eh! Let him go! Let him go right now!" the pirates threaten.

Suddenly, the hooded woman looks up at the pirates. Her fiery, yellow eyes stare into their souls. She pushes the palm of her hand out, and all of their bodies soar across the hallway. One of the pirates rolls down the stairs towards the bar.

"Help! Help!" the scoundrel reaches out. "There's a-

A red lightsaber cuts through his neck.

The commotion in the cantina stops, and the music spirals downwards. The only sound left in the entire room is the ominous hum of the red lightsaber. Everyone in the cantina is frozen, staring at the dark hooded woman. The woman shakes off her dark hood, revealing herself to be a red-skinned Twi'lek. The Twi'lek prostitutes in the bar gasp.

Across the red Twi'lek's entire body, black tattooes intricately curve and snake around her skin. Her ember pupils roll from left to right, eyeing every single body in the bar. Far off within the bar's smog, Anakin stares at the Twi'lek's lightsaber.

Beside him, a man discreetly raises his blaster pistol. Anakin looks at the man, gulping nervously. The red Twi'lek's eyes roll towards the man with the pistol. The man suddenly yells and shoots at her. She deflects his blaster bolt, sending it back towards him. He collapses immediately, with a steaming hole glowing through his chest.

Utter chaos breaks loose. Everyone tramples over each other, herding towards the exits. A few drunk souls rush and shoot at the Twi'lek. Their shots either hit someone else or face deflection. The red Twi'lek dashes around, slashing her lightsaber through everyone in sight.

 


	3. Ohnaka's Crew - Abandon Ship!

**5\. ABANDON SHIP**

A stampede rushes out of the bar, screaming.

"ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! SHE'S GONNA KILL US!"

Many of them dash into the hangar, desperately climbing into the cockpits of starfighters. Atop one freighter, Owen gathers containers of spice. He looks around at the sudden commotion, growing concerned. Suddenly, a man shoves him off the freighter and starts to hijack the cockpit.

Owen looks up and points, "Hey! That's my ship!"

The hijacker yells back, "Not anymore, chump!"

Owen pulls out his pistol and starts shooting. However, the pirate has already closed the cockpit, shielding himself from the blaster bolts. The pirate raises the ship and blasts out of the hangar.

"Blast! You gotta be kiddin' me!" Owen tosses his pistol furiously.

A group of pirates run up the landing ramp of the red Twi'lek's Ginivex starfighter. But before they can reach the door, a turret slides down and blasts them all to oblivion.

Meanwhile, Anakin struggles to break free from a stampede rushing down a hallway. Anakin spots Owen turning out of a corner.

"Owen!" Anakin stumbles towards him.

"Anakin!" Owen yells. "The bounty hunters are here! I knew it!"

"What?! She ain't a bounty hunter! She's got a lightsaber!"

Owen's eyes pop, "What?!"

"Yeah! We gotta get outta here!" Anakin starts to run forward.

"What? Wait!" Owen stops him. "Why would a Jedi be killing us?"

Anakin shakes his head, "She's not a Jedi."

* * *

**6\. A NAME!**

Hondo Ohnaka collapses before the empty bridge of his ship. He pants heavily until he hears the hum of a lightsaber. He looks behind, and the red Twi'lek fast approaches down the hallway.

"Blast, blast, blast, blast, blast!" he scrambles to the door, pressing the button to shut it.

He stumbles towards his captain's chair, opening an armrest where a pistol and bottle of rum lie inside. Meanwhile, the red lightsaber cuts a hole through the steel door, and the Twi'lek kicks it down. She enters the bridge ready to kill, and Hondo quickly chugs down the rum bottle.

"Give me a moment," he raises a finger. "Let me have my last drink before you-

She force pulls his body towards her. As he flies in mid-air, Ohnaka draws his pistol, shooting at her. But she deflects the bolts, severs his pistol hand, and catches him by the throat. The Weequay captain cries at his missing hand.

"Who bought the kyber crystal?!" the Twi'lek points her lightsaber beside his face.

"I don't know! Please…," Hondo whimpers.

"A name... NOW!" she throws his body to the floor.

"Okay… I try… I try…," he shivers. "He was… he was called Obi…"

"Obi-what?!"

"I don't know! I think it was… Obi-Wong…Obi-Wit…. Obi-Wan! Yes…Yes! Obi-Wan Kanata! Yes, that's right!"

The Twi'lek's black glove releases Hondo's neck, and he immediately gasps for air.

"Now, please… let me go. I have nothing of value for you!" the pirate captain begs.

The Twi'lek grabs Hondo's forehead.

"You're coming with me," she tells him.

"What?! Why?!"

"Because if you're lying, I'll break it completely!"

"Break what?"

She slams the back of his skull into the floor. Then, without the Twi'lek even touching him, Ohnaka's unconscious body drags across the floor behind her. Before leaving the command bridge, the Twi'lek drops a detonation pack on the ship's steering controls.

* * *

**7\. LEFT BEHIND**

Anakin and Owen stumble into the crowded escape pod room, where anyone who hasn't yet escaped is trying to. Multiple pods eject as others shuffle into any that are still available.

"I can't believe you lost our ship!" Anakin yells at Owen.

"Just shut up and find an open pod!" Owen retorts.

As Owen peers into each of the remaining pods, Anakin spots a golden locket on the floor. Amongst all the commotion, he bends down to inspect it. He traces a familiar blue symbol carved across the plating. For a brief moment, Anakin feels a tremor he hadn't felt since...

"Anakin!" a distant voice yells.

Anakin looks up and sees Owen already inside a crammed pod.

"What the hell are you doing?! Let's go!" Owen urges him.

Anakin pockets the locket and rushes towards Owen's escape pod as more people cram inside it.

"We're runnin' out of room," one of the pod's passengers states.

"What's this droid doin' in here?! He's takin' too much space!" a passenger throws Anakin's astromech droid out of the pod.

"R2!" Anakin rushes to his droid and straightens him up. "You okay?"

"Anakin! We have to go! Now!" Owen yells, holding the pod's door open.

"Come on, R2! Hurry!" Anakin leads the droid towards the pod.

One of the pod's passengers grabs Owen's shoulder and pulls him away from the door.

"What are we waitin' for?! There's no more room!" the passenger states.

The pod's door starts to shut as Owen tries to grab it again. But the passengers pull Owen away, and a brawl ensues inside the pod.

"Owen!" Anakin runs faster, diving towards the pod's door quickly shutting.

The door shuts tight, and Anakin's hand slams the door's open button. But, it's already too late. The escape pod immediately ejects into space.

"NO!" Anakin shouts.

Anakin and R2-D2 stare at the flying pod, standing all alone in the empty escape pod room.

* * *

**8\. FIND THE JEDI TEMPLE**

Hondo Ohnaka's unconscious body drags behind the red Twi'lek across the hangar bay. Using the Force, the Twi'lek hurls Ohnaka's body like a ragdoll into her Ginivex fighter, and she enters the ship afterwards. Soon, the Ginivex's red fanblade opens up and exits the pirate cruiser. Not long after, Anakin rushes into the hangar bay, along with R2. Anakin looks around, sweating profusely.

"Ah blast! It's all cleared out!"

R2 leans towards the direction of a faraway ship hidden in a corner.

"Oh! Good eye, pal."

Anakin rushes towards the lone ship, all covered in droid ligaments and metal sheets. He scrapes off the junk covering the cockpit and starts to turn on its engines.

"Come on, baby. Work for me. Work for me!"

The engines light up.

"Yes!"

R2 bleeps for his attention. The muscle man hops off the ship and lifts up the astromech.

"Don't worry, R2. I'm not gonna forget you."

He places the droid into the ship's astromech socket.

"You feel good?" he locks the droid in place.

R2 chirps.

"Good."

Suddenly, an alarm blares in the cockpit. Anakin checks the cockpit's monitor and instruments. A warning reads: HYPERDRIVE CRITICAL CONDITION

"No… no, no, no, no, no, no."

Anakin hops off the ship and ducks underneath to check the hyperdrive port. He opens the port and slams it immediately.

"Damn it! Damn it!" he violently smacks the starfighter's wing and falls to his knees.

"How the hell are we getting out of here?" he looks around, hopeless.

A glint of gold shines across his pupils. The golden locket he picked up earlier lies before him. Anakin looks at it for a long while. Then, he snatches it.

"R2! You see this?" he shows the droid the locket.

"This is a Jedi locket. You can see their symbol here," he points at the blue lightsaber carving.

"I need you to find the Jedi Temple on Coruscant; it's a white monastery with a massive garden. You can't miss it. If you find this symbol, you'll find the Jedi."

R2 shakes his dome back and forth.

"No, no. Listen to me. You need to find them and tell them to come here," Anakin pleads.

R2 bleeps a question.

"I wish I could… I wish I could come with," Anakin remarks. "But,... I'm not going to survive out there without the hyperdrive. You know that."

R2 shakes his dome and whines. Anakin crawls closer and puts his hand on the droid's dome.

"Hey. I'll be fine," Anakin reassures. "I'll be fine, man. Now, I'm counting on you. You promise me that you're not gonna stop. No matter how many times you run out of fuel, you will not stop until you get to Coruscant. You got that?"

Anakin hugs R2 and looks him in the camera.

"You'll make it. I know you will. Now, come on. You gotta go. You gotta go right now. We don't have much time. Come on..."

Anakin guides R2 into lifting the starfighter. The droid hesitantly lifts the ship and slowly hovers towards the hangar's shields. Anakin looks around the bay, knowing this is where he'll die. A prisoner aboard an abandoned ship. Although R2 is only a few yards away from the shields, he looks back at his friend. Anakin looks at R2 as well. His eyes start to water.

Outside the cruiser, the red Twi'lek prepares to jump to lightspeed in her Ginivex fighter. But before she blasts off, she presses a detonator. The bridge of the pirate cruiser explodes, and the whole ship starts to dip forward. The entire hangar bay tips right, and Anakin's body rolls down. R2 escapes from the capsizing ship at the last second.

Once out in space, R2 looks down at the burning cruiser nose-diving toward the brown planet below. Eventually, the cruiser disappears as it enters the planet's atmosphere. R2 looks down for a long while, debating whether he should chase after Anakin or not. But with a minimal amount of fuel left, he does exactly what Anakin told him. R2 turns around and begins his long journey to Coruscant.


	4. Coruscant - Galactic City

**9\. A NEW RECORD**

A blue lightsaber ignites in the darkness. Its glow illuminates two hazel-colored eyes and the face of a young white woman. Something screeches in the darkness around her. Her eyes move towards the sound. Suddenly, a red laser shoots out, and she deflects it. Then, another screech moves in the darkness. Her eyes follow it, then one blaster bolt shoots from behind, and another shoots from the front. She deflects both bolts.

For a moment, there's complete silence. The woman looks from left to right. A single drop of sweat leaks down her forehead. Then in a maelstrom, blaster bolts shoot at her from all different directions. She deflects all of the bolts, waving her lightsaber around like a ribbon. But as she deflects three bolts behind her, one bolt shoots at her from the front and hits her stomach. The woman grasps her stomach and winces as bright lights start to shine around her.

"End of simulation," a robotic voice says.

Four orb-shaped remotes hover around the woman and float back into their slots beneath the floor.

"What's my time?" the woman disengages her lightsaber.

"Three minutes and four seconds," the robotic voice responds.

"Yes!" the woman smirks. "A new record."

* * *

**10\. LOST SON**

The young woman peeks into a bedroom where an older, middle-aged woman sits on a bed looking up at a holographic map of the galaxy.

The young woman knocks on the wall, "Are you all set now, Shmi? It's already a quarter past eight."

The older woman Shmi does not respond. She only weeps at the stars and planets above her.

"Shmi?" the younger woman steps towards Shmi. "Is everything alright?"

Shmi sniffs, hovering her finger over a holopic of a little boy. Her dry, red eyes look up at the galactic hologram.

"I'm sure he's somewhere safe," the young woman sits beside Shmi. "You don't have to worry about him all the time."

Shmi looks at her with a slightly insulted expression.

"He's my son. And, I just… I…"

Shmi sobs uncontrollably over her son's holopic. The young woman hugs her.

"Hey… shh… it's not your fault, Shmi. It's not your fault. I'm sure your son's fine. I'm sure he's alright. Okay? Everything's going to be alright, Shmi."

The stars of the galaxy twinkle above them.

* * *

**11\. WELCOME TO CORUSCANT**

The young, brunette woman clips her lightsaber to her hip. Then, she helps Shmi put on a nurse's suit over her scarred and bruised body.

"Okay?" the young woman observes the permanent welts on Shmi's bruised back.

Shmi nods. The young woman leaves and approaches the front door.

"Come on, Shmi. Today's going to be a new day," she smiles.

The young woman opens the door and enters a planet-wide ecumenopolis. Airspeeders zoom across the skies. People bustle across the rooftops of buildings. Skyscrapers stretch out higher than the clouds themselves. Colorful holograms project on almost every single building, advertising all of the new popular products across the galaxy. One of the holograms is an image of a middle-aged, blonde woman, prepped and primed in an exquisite blue dress as she is the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

"Welcome to Coruscant – capital of the Galactic Republic and home to over one hundred billion life-forms," she says.

A hundred billion isn't too far-fetched as it seems about seven billion people walk across the rooftops in front of the young woman and Shmi. All of the pedestrians are different species from different planets. Not one person matched the other in skin color, dress, or physiology. Yet, despite their differences, everyone seems to be headed to work, whatever their craft may be. A hologram of the morning news projects onto a nearby skyscraper.

"It's that time of the year again!" a female Pantoran newscaster says. "The Galactic Blood Drive conducted by the Republic Health Administration has started and over a trillion people across the galaxy have donated already!"

"Have you donated blood yet? I'm going in today," the young woman asks Shmi as they walk among the crowd of pedestrians.

"No, I'm… not that big on needles," Shmi shivers, remembering her past.

"Oh, it's not that bad," the young woman continues. "It only hurts for a second and then all is better. People who donate blood are actually at a lower risk of suffering a heart attack or cancer. And, just one donation can save the lives of up to three people."

Shmi nervously remarks, "Well, that's nice..."

The young woman responds, "Shmi, sometimes you have to take a chance. You can't live your life fearing everything that could happen. Be free… and proactive."

"The words of a Jedi," Shmi smirks.

"But, they're right. Aren't they?" the young Jedi smiles at her.

The young Jedi woman and Shmi reach the bustling Coruscant Subway Station.

"Okay. Here we are," the young woman states.

They both stop at the station's gate. The young woman looks at Shmi, who solemnly looks down at the ground. The young woman looks down as well.

"Look, I know these past few years have been really hard to live through," the young woman starts. "And I know you're not my actual mom, but… you've always been like one to me ever since you took me in. And, I thank you for that."

Shmi looks up at the young woman.

"Nabi… oh, Nabi…," Shmi hugs her and weeps into her shoulder.

Nabi's eyes tear up. Before Shmi holds on for too long, Nabi gently pushes herself away.

"You have a great day at work, Shmi. Take care."

"You too, Nabi. Take care of yourself."

Nabi smiles one last time. She wipes away her tears, then turns around and walks away while Shmi looks on at the daughter she never had.

* * *

**12\. CHASING THE JUMPER**

Nabi quickly searches for the train set course for the Jedi Temple. A hooded, lime-green Mirialan woman waves at her from the distance.

"Nabi! Over here!"

"Barriss!" Nabi waves back with a smile.

She moves towards Barriss, squeezing through the crowds of people within the station.

"Excuse me! Pardon! Coming through!" Nabi announces. "Please, excuse me, sir. I'm… trying to get through here. Ow!"

Someone bumps into her shoulder.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Nabi looks at an eyeless alien.

The eyeless creature squeals at her. Nabi backs away, revolted.

"Nabi! Nabi, are you alright?" the Mirialan Barriss Offee stumbles next to her.

"Yeah… I'm fine," Nabi brushes her shoulder.

"That's good. So, you've got a big day today," Barriss mentions. "Are you ready to pass the Trials and become a Jedi Knight?"

"Are you kidding?" Nabi responds. "I'm so ready to move away from monotonous missionaries and getting to the real on-duty assignments."

"Ugh, tell me about it," Barriss rolls her eyes. "So, how was the tournament yesterday?"

Nabi's eyes light up, "Incredible actually! I set the highest record to date… pretty much."

"No way," Barriss is in awe.

"I beat everyone else's time! It wasn't that bad," Nabi remarks. "I was just thirty seconds short of Anakin Skywalker's record."

"You mean that guy who was considered the 'Chosen One' years ago?" Barriss chuckles. "I still don't understand. If he was the so-called 'Chosen One', why would he quit the Order?"

"Beats me," Nabi shrugs. "You know I'm living with his mom, right?"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. She let me stay at her apartment until I'm able to afford my own."

Beside the two Padawans, a lonesome Rodian mother struggles to calm her children. While the mother remains preoccupied, a female Terrelian Jango Jumper snatches her purse.

"Hey! My purse!" the mother yells.

The red-headed Terrelian smirks.

"Hey!" Nabi looks at the Terrelian and ignites her blue lightsaber. "Give that back!"

The Jumper's red eyes widen, and she makes a break for it.

"Stop!" Nabi chases after her.

Meanwhile, the subway starts to arrive at their stop.

"Nabi! Wait! The train's here!" Barriss shouts.

"Don't worry, Barriss! I've got this one!" Nabi grins.

Due to her slim, turquoise body, the Terrelian Jumper slips through the crowds of pedestrians with ease. Nabi's little body slips through the crowds as well.

"In the name of the Republic, I order you to stop!" Nabi points her saber forward.

Onlookers brace and hop away from the plasma blade.

"Watch where you point that thing!" a bystander shakes his fist.

The Terrelian looks out the corner of her eye, noticing the subway is just arriving at the next stop. She leaps in front of the subway and lands on the other side. Nabi moves to jump as well, but the subway zips right in front of her. The Jedi Padawan's hair flails wildly as she waits impatiently for the subway to slow down.

"Come on… come on…," Nabi switches off her saber.

The train finally slows to a halt. Now, Nabi waits for the doors to open.

She walks up and smacks the doors, "Hello?! Are you gonna open up?!"

"Ma'am!" a railway droid yells. "Step away from the doors!"

"Open up! I have to catch a-

Then, like a tidal wave crashing onto a beach, a swarm of passengers rush off the train right into Nabi. She tries bracing herself as people shove and smash against her. After the wave finally passes by, Nabi stumbles through the train onto the other side. She looks around, not seeing the Terrelian Jumper anywhere. Then, she heads back onto the train and continues her search. Meanwhile, dozens of passengers file on board, squishing her little body.

"Excuse me! Oof!"

Nabi squeezes down the aisle, looking around each seat for the Terrelian Jumper. Passengers look at her as if she's an escaped psychiatric patient. Fed up, Nabi stands in the center aisle and raises her hand.

"Alright! Everyone! I am Nabirye Freedom – future Jedi Knight! I'm looking for a red-haired Terrelian Jumper. She just stole a purse from someone. Has anyone seen her?"

The passengers look at each other, confused and afraid.

"Okay. Well, if anyone sees her, you are to report to me immediately!" Nabi states.

As the train starts to move forward, Nabi sweeps through every car. She eventually reaches the very end before the emergency exit. Darkness suddenly encapsulates the entire train as it passes through a tunnel.

"Where are you?" Nabi tries to peer through the darkness.

Eventually, the train exits the tunnel. Light shines through every window, revealing the Terrelian hiding inside the overhead bin above Nabi. The Jedi turns around, and the Terrelian kicks her face. As Nabi falls over on some passengers, the Terrelian escapes up the aisle. Nabi wipes the blood from her lips and chases after her. Both the thief and the Jedi shove aside passengers in their way. The Terrelian exits through an emergency door. Nabi follows suit.

"Got you!" she grabs the Terrelian's arm.

The Terrelian roundhouse kicks Nabi, then leaps off the train, landing safely on the sidewalk. Nabi reaches out, but she's too late. She looks at the Terrelian quickly zooming out of sight. Nabi looks over the edge at the blurry sidewalk, hesitant to jump at such a speed. But then, the train starts slowing down for its next stop.

Nabi braces. Once the train's speed decreases, Nabi jumps off and rolls onto the metal sidewalk. She slowly rises, moaning from the cuts and bruises across her body. Off in the distance the Terrelian jumps off the building's ledge. Nabi catches up to her.

She looks down at the Jumper balancing on a narrow beam overlooking a building below. On the building's roof, a group of people splash into a large swimming pool. Nabi slides down the wall, joining the thief on the wobbly balance beam. Nabi almost slips upon realizing she's a few hundred million stories in the air. She grasps onto the beam tight.

"Hey!" Nabi nervously shouts. "You're caught now! There's no escape! So, just… take my hand and I'll turn you in."

The Terrelian looks back at her and laughs. Then she leaps off the beam, does ten somersaults in the air as she falls towards the swimming pool. Thrusters on the Terrelian's boots light up, and she hovers over the pool, landing safely in front of it.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Nabi exclaims.

The Terrelian smirks up at her and mockingly salutes. Nabi scowls back. Then, she looks down at the endless abyss below her and gulps. The Jedi determinedly looks at the Terrelian again and tiptoes back against the wall.

Nabi closes her eyes, taking in a deep and shivering breath, "I can do this. I can do this."

She starts to charge forward, running across the beam, "I can do this. I can do this!"

Nabi nears the end of the beam, having second thoughts, "Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!"

She leaps off and screams at the top of her lungs, "AH!"

Her tiny body shoots down endless stories and violently plunges through the swimming pool below. Like a rocket, she shoots all the way back up to the surface, gasping for air. The young swimmers hastily grab and help the Jedi out of the pool.

"Are you alright? You just jumped ten stories!" one of the swimmers says.

Nabi harshly coughs and blinks several times. She spots the Terrelian running away. Nabi desperately dashes after her again. Her wet boots squeak as her slick hair whips around. She and the Terrelian pass by a white-hooded man, who unravels his hand from his robes and moves it down. The Terrelian randomly trips, and Nabi stumbles over her. Then, Nabi scrambles on top of the Terrelian's body, twisting her arms together.

"Got you!" Nabi proclaims.

"Nabi? What are you doing?" the white-hooded man walks up to her.

Nabi looks up at him, "Master!"

The man removes his white hood, revealing his auburn bearded face to be none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Oh, you won't believe what's happened to me today!" Nabi tells him.

"Oh, I can imagine," the Jedi Master studies her drenched body.

Obi-Wan bends down and helps his Padawan Nabi lock stun cuffs around the Terrelian's wrists.


	5. Coruscant - The Jedi Temple

**13\. THE JEDI TEMPLE**

Inside the Coruscant Central Detention Center a pair of correctional officers grab the Terrelian Jumper and escort her towards the cell block area. Meanwhile, Nabi dries herself off with a towel.

"Next time, let us handle this, Jedi," the dreary police chief tells her. "It's already enough we have droids do our jobs."

"My apologies, sir," Obi-Wan bows before him.

"My apprentice will not make this mistake again," he gives Nabi a sidelong glance.

Nabi looks at him, confused.

The two Jedi leave the prison, heading towards a public transport.

"How many times do I have to tell you Nabi not to conduct vigilantism?" Kenobi scolds her.

"What was I supposed to do? Let the thief go?!" Nabi retorts.

Obi-Wan sighs, "She was carrying a purse, Nabi. A purse…"

"Yeah, and there's a lot of stuff that you can carry in a purse. Like money, IDs, passwords," she reasons.

Obi-Wan stops and looks at her, "All of which can be replaced. Nabi, you endangered the public. There were reports saying you nearly pierced someone with your lightsaber!"

"But, I didn't!" Nabi sasses back.

Obi-Wan scoffs and shakes his head, "Look at yourself. You know your Trials are today, and you're already showing signs of regression. You're better than this."

They board the transport, and it leaves the detention center. Nabi stubbornly stares at her master while they stand and grasp onto the ceiling's handlebars.

"Well, if it wasn't for me. Then who? Who would've stopped that thief from stealing again? Or, potentially hurting somebody?"

Obi-Wan leans closer to her, "That is not a problem for us. That is an issue for the police. Remember your place, Nabi. The Jedi has no authority to take the law into their own hands. We only do so if we are granted permission by the Senate. Or, if the situation is dire, and there is nobody present to help."

"But, there was nobody to help!" she retorts.

Obi-Wan looks away, ignoring her.

"Blast! You're not even listening to me," Nabi shakes her head, looking away from him.

After a short moment of silence, she reminds her master, "I thought you told me the Jedi were guardians of 'peace' and 'justice' in the galaxy."

Obi-Wan shakes his head, "You still don't understand what it means to be a Jedi."

"Yeah. I guess I don't," Nabi looks down.

The transport turns left at an intersection and lands before a crenellated sandstone wall. Behind the red wall sits a grand, white domed building. The two Jedi disembark from the transport, joining the dozens of others filing under the wall's arches.

"Now, come along. Master Dooku's ceremony has already started," Obi-Wan tells Nabi.

Built from an ivory-white marble, the symmetrical, eight-sided Jedi Temple stands atop a square plinth. A large marble dome surmounts the top of the temple. Four smaller domes, similar in design, stand at each corner of the larger dome. Nabi and Obi-Wan pass through the perfectly trimmed gardens before the temple. Congregations of Jedi sweep through the courtyard, conversing peacefully or reciting ancient Jedi liturgy. Other Jedi care for the roses and daffodils blooming around the complex.

Beneath the shade of an ancient tree, a Jedi meditates in the lotus position. Dozens of other Jedi meditate across the ripened lawns as well. Meanwhile, Nabi and Obi-Wan reach the square plinth and enter the sacred temple of the Jedi Order.

The same serene atmosphere outside flows throughout the halls of the temple. Jedi congregate or stroll silently within the tan corridors. Other Jedi meditate peacefully inside private chambers. The temple's wide, open areas are host to gatherings. In a current gathering, dozens of Jedi surround an old, grey-haired Human man standing at the end of a long hallway.

"It is an honor and privilege to accept your appointment as Grandmaster," the grey-haired man starts.

"As we know, this galaxy can be a dangerous place. There are many who seek greed, lust, and control. Yet, there are others who don't seek such powers. Others who are able to resist these temptations and still live prosperously. We are a part of the others. A part of the Force that surrounds us and binds the galaxy together. May the Light guide us to our destinies. And grant us the knowledge, strength, and wisdom to live every moment as mortal creatures, as luminous beings,... as Jedi. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with us all," all of the Jedi in the gathering say.

The newly appointed Jedi Grandmaster Dooku bows before all of his fellow Jedi as they applaud and welcome his leadership.

After a number of Jedi congratulate Dooku, Obi-Wan steps forth to congratulate him as well.

"Obi-Wan!" Dooku smiles.

"Vin!" Obi-Wan embraces Dooku. "Or, should I say Grandmaster Vin Dooku."

They both chuckle.

"Congratulations," Obi-Wan says. "You absolutely deserve this."

"Oh, please…," Dooku waves him off.

"No, I'm serious," Obi-Wan responds. "There's no one else I would consider to be best suited to lead the Order."

"Oh, you know you would make a better Grandmaster than me, Kenobi," Dooku replies.

"According to Master Yoda, I would be too mindful of the future," Obi-Wan says. "Never on where I was, or what I was doing."

Both men chuckle at their old master's remark.

"Well," Dooku starts, "...sometimes we do need to envision our future, so that we can determine whether we're headed down the correct path. It's something I wish the Senate would do."

Dooku offers Kenobi a glass of wine.

"I couldn't agree more," Obi-Wan accepts the glass and toasts with Dooku.

* * *

**14.** **THIS WEAPON IS YOUR LIFE**

Lightsabers swish through the air. Blues, Greens, and Yellows light up the dueling arena.

"Shii-Cho!" the Jedi Padawans swing their lightsabers. "Makashi! Soresu! Ataru! Shien! Niman! Vaapad!"

The grey-haired and battle-scarred Jedi Master Rahm Kota observes the Padawans practicing all lightsaber forms.

"Our brothers of old fought with these sabers for centuries," Kota's gruff voice states. "This weapon is your protector – your guardian angel. This weapon _is_ your life."

The pony-tailed Jedi Master stops before two Padawans dueling. Nabi and Barriss Offee, covered in thick, white plastoid armor from head to toe, swing their blue sabers at each other. Master Kenobi and Luminara Unduli respectively stand behind their Padawans.

Master Kota observes as Nabi swings her blade, almost knocking the saber out of Barriss' grip. Offee rolls forward, tries attacking Nabi from behind. However, Nabi swings her saber back and blocks the attack. Their blades lock in a clash.

"Getting tired?" Barriss playfully asks through her transparisteel facemask.

"Haven't even broken a sweat," Nabi smirks; her breath moistening her own facemask.

Nabi pushes her blade to the right, moving the clash downwards. Barriss pushes back, moving the clash to the left. Both women release the lock and thrust heads forth for each other. As Barriss passes by, she slams her blade against Nabi's. Nabi drops her saber, however, her other hand catches it. She desperately blocks Barriss' oncoming strike, nearly getting hit. Barriss smirks and twirls her saber around Nabi's like a serpent's coil. She flings Nabi's saber into the air. Nabi instantly leaps up, flips over Barriss' head, grabs her saber, and lands behind Barriss.

"Yield," Nabi points her blade at Barriss' throat.

Barriss' surprised face leans away. She disengages her saber and humbly bows before Nabi. Master Kota applauds, and Luminara and Obi-Wan follow suit. Nabi disengages her saber and bows before Barriss. They both remove their sweaty facemasks, feeling the refreshening cool air.

"You almost had me there!" Nabi smiles.

"I know. I scared you, didn't I?" Barriss smirks.

"Eh…just a little," Nabi jokes.

They both chuckle.

"Well, I couldn't let the soon to be Knight lose before her Trials, could I? That wouldn't be very nice of me," Barriss says.

"Oh! You're really going there," Nabi smiles.

Barriss chuckles, "I wish you the best, Nabi. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you too, Barriss," Nabi replies as Barriss and Luminara walk away.

"Padawan," Rahm Kota addresses Nabi, "... you may very well be the best duelist I've seen in awhile."

The scar-faced Jedi looks around the entire arena.

"Many of these kids…," he inspects the other duelists, "... they couldn't duel better than a poor man's Gungan."

Off in the distance, two Padawans clumsily drop their sabers and scramble for them.

"Hey!" Kota shouts. "Hold your hilts tight like I told you to! Bunch a dimwits…"

Obi-Wan appears insulted by Kota's behavior.

"Anyways," Kota looks at Nabi, "you should feel proud of yourself. Seeing that your Trials are today, I have no doubt that you'll become a Knight just like us."

Nabi smiles, feeling accomplished by his compliment.

* * *

**15.** **OVERCONFIDENCE IS A DANGEROUS WEAKNESS**

Nabi and Obi-Wan walk towards the Jedi Temple's gate entrance.

"I can't believe it," Nabi exclaims. "I've never heard a Master say that. Did he really mean it? Am I… the best duelist there is?"

She turns towards Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master isn't sure what to say. He sighs.

"Nabi, you are a very skillful duelist, but do not let Master Kota's compliment get the better of you."

Nabi's bright smile flattens into a soft scowl.

"What? What do you mean get the better of me?"

Kenobi wipes his face, "Nabi, I feel you're overconfident. You think the Trials will be easy."

"What? No! I don't think the Trials will be easy. I just think... they won't be as hard as I thought they'd be."

Nabi looks up at the smirk across her master's face.

"Overconfidence is a dangerous weakness, Nabi. It can lead to arrogance and neglect of the people surrounding you. It can also lead to your downfall."

"Look master," Nabi retorts, "You know I've completed all of the tests and tutorials with a hundred-percent success rates. And for the first time, I top the duels and conditioning charts! So, why shouldn't I feel confident about the Trials?"

"Nabi, there's more to being a Jedi than positive test scores and stellar performances. I told you this before. This isn't a competition. This isn't an average, daily job. This is a lifetime commitment. This will be _your_ life."

"Yeah, I know. So, why are you patronizing me right now?"

"No, I'm not trying to patronize you. Or, find any flaw for the sake of finding flaws. I tell you this because… I care Nabi. All I want is to see you succeed."

Obi-Wan looks down. Nabi looks up at him with the softest touch of sincerity. Both master and apprentice remain silent for a long moment, feeling a comforting warmth between them.

"We should meet again, here, at the gates before your Trials," Obi-Wan suggests. "Then, we should go to a chamber afterwards, so you can clear your mind and control your confidence."

Nabi grins, "Okay. But, I won't have to do much, because I already have control of my confidence."

Kenobi smirks, "Oh, I'm not sure you're confident about that statement."

Nabi chuckles and starts to walk away.

"Nabi," Obi-Wan softly touches his apprentice's shoulder, "...remember, the Force will be with you… always."

"May the Force be with you too, Master," she says.

She steps aboard a transport and turns around to look at him before the door shuts. The transport zooms away from the Jedi Temple, back into the heart of the city. Obi-Wan looks up at the transport for one last moment and walks away.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> For anyone wondering what I picture the Jedi Temple to look like in this version, it is the Taj Mahal in India. I could have gone with the traditional look from the actual prequels, but I was looking for a more angelic and welcoming architecture as well as a vibrant garden surrounding the temple. And keeping with the original tradition of filming at actual locations, if I actually got to choose the location for the main Jedi Temple, I would choose the Taj Mahal because it personifies everything that I want to depict with the Jedi. My idea was to have the Jedi Temple stand out as a refuge for natural, organic life amongst a bustling city filled with artificial constructions. It will be the only green patch, like a Central Park, within an environment completely comprised of metal.


	6. Coruscant - The Senate

**15.** **THE SENATE**

The metal domed Senate Building stands beneath the city's hyperactive airways. Hundreds of senators and diplomats disembark at the Senate spaceport. Obi-Wan files inside the large, rotund Senate Chamber where one thousand and twenty-four delegations surround the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, the blonde and fairly weathered Satine Kryze.

In her repulsorpod Chancellor Kryze stands at the podium. Her exquisite blue dress sparkles.

"The chair recognizes Senator Organa from the sovereign system of Alderaan," she says.

The delegation from Alderaan pushes their repulsorpod towards the center of the chamber. Senator Bail Organa, viceroy and representative of the Alderaan system, stands.

"Honorable representatives of the Republic, on behalf of my wife, Queen Breha Organa, we request for your support against the devastation caused by the Red Iaro faction. They have killed two of our diplomats and seventy-four civilians in recent bombing attacks. As a peaceful world, Alderaan does not have any security or defenses to ward off this threat."

"But, _we_ can supply you with the arms you need," the Neimoidian Lott Dod from the Trade Federation butts in. "For a considerable price of course."

"We can file a loan for you to pay these arms," the Muun Chairman San Hill of the Banking Clan offers. "With a standard interest rate of twenty-five percent."

"Hold!" Chancellor Kryze demands. "The chair does not recognize the Trade Federation or the Banking Clan at this time. So, please gentlemen… have a seat."

San Hill and Lott Dod scowl at the Chancellor and sit down.

"Even though the Red Iaro is a threat to Alderaan, I believe we can resolve this matter without conflict," Chancellor Kryze states.

"Are you suggesting that we bargain with terrorists?!" Chairman San Hill stands back up.

"This is absolutely ludicrous," Senator Rush Clovis shakes his head. "This is what happens when we elect an idealist as our Chancellor."

"No…," Chancellor Kryze shakes her head, "...these are the words of a pacifist who understands that Republic intervention can lead to occupation, further violence, and the undermining of a people's self-determination. It is important that we respect Alderaan's pacifism while alleviating the threat of the Red Iaro faction. Therefore, I am offering an olive branch to the Red Iaro in the hopes that we will resolve this matter peacefully."

A considerable amount of delegates applaud, including Senator Mon Mothma of the Chandrila system. Obi-Wan proudly applauds as well, even though he does not represent any delegation.

After the Senate adjourns Obi-Wan walks through the halls leading to the Chancellor's Executive Office. The Chancellor's blue armored Senate Guards stand tall before the entrance.

"She will be with you shortly," the guard captain informs Kenobi.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan bows.

"Ah… if it isn't the acclaimed Jedi Master Kenobi," an elderly, white-haired politician approaches Obi-Wan.

"Vice Chancellor!" the Jedi bows, "It is an honor to see you again."

The Vice Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Sheev Palpatine, shakes Obi-Wan's hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," Palpatine smiles. "I must say. You're developing quite a reputation in the Senate, Master Kenobi."

"Oh, am I?"

"Yes. Resolving the border dispute on Ansion, disbanding the terror groups on Mandalore. You make a better politician than the rest of us, Master Jedi, and you aren't even a politician," Palpatine chuckles.

"I'm just serving the public as best I can," Kenobi modestly states.

Sheev shakes his head and sighs.

"You should see how entangled Congress is lately. Nobody can get anything through. No bills can be passed, no laws can be confirmed. Nothing can be accomplished. We're almost better off with an authoritarian regime because at least something would get done."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that, sir," Obi-Wan smirks.

"Yes… so… what are you here for anyways? I'm sorry. I should have asked you that before," Palpatine changes subject.

"Well…," Kenobi blinks and looks away from Palpatine. "I came here to-

The door to the Chancellor's Office slides open. Chancellor Kryze, adorned in a feathery blue and turquoise dress steps forward. She and Obi-Wan exchange a look of concern for each other.

"Sheev," Chancellor Kryze glances at Palpatine. "If you don't mind, Master Kenobi and I have a scheduled meeting to conduct."

"As you wish, your Excellency," Sheev bows and walks away.

Satine's gaze returns to Kenobi's face.

"Still haven't shaved that beard," she shakes her head.

"Still haven't replaced that headpiece," Kenobi looks at the blue, u-shaped fabric curving around Satine's head.

Satine smiles and holds out her hand, "Always with the comeback, aren't you?"

"You incite them, you know," Obi-Wan smirks and takes her hand, following her inside.

Inside her broad, blue office Satine pulls out a chair for Obi-Wan and grabs a glass of tea for him.

"So, what brings you out this far?" Satine wonders. "I know it's just a speeder's way to get here, but you haven't come to visit me for over a year now."

"Well, I'm not sure how to state this without being blunt," the Jedi looks to the ground.

"What?" Satine turns around.

"It's Project Celestial," Kenobi sighs.

Satine freezes. Silence befalls the room.

"Project Celestial may be in jeopardy," Kenobi whispers.

Satine shoots a look at her guards.

"Captain, would you mind waiting outside for a moment?"

Taken aback at first, the captain complies, "Of course, my Lady."

Satine stares at them until the door shuts completely. Then, she looks back at Obi-Wan.

"What are you talking about?" she asks him.

"Doctor Erso and his team cannot contain the crystal's radioactivity. It's too unstable," the Jedi Master looks down and scratches his beard.

Satine looks down too, "Are we still able to provide clean, sustainable energy?"

"The risks outweigh the benefits," Kenobi gravely looks at her.

* * *

**16.** **I DON'T SPEAK DROID**

Inside the Grand Medical Facility hundreds of patients donate blood. Nabi is among them, lying on a bed with a needle through her arm as her blood swirls into a packet. The entire packet bloats.

"Transfusion complete," a pale-skinned Kaminoan nurse calmly states.

"Already?" Nabi looks at her packet of blood.

"Yes," the long-necked humanoid says, carefully removing the needle from Nabi's arm.

"Wow. Last time it took ten minutes. Now, it's just three!" Nabi exclaims.

"Yes. We have greatly improved our performance since then," the nurse faintly grins.

"Well, I hope that blood helps someone who really needs it," Nabi gets up from the bed.

"It will," the long-fingered amphibian labels the packet. "Thank you for your donation."

Nabi steps out of the medical facility, walking towards a subway station. Behind her a blue astromech droid's camera zooms in on an insignia plastered on her shoulder. The droid rolls up to her. He begins bleeping erratically until she turns towards him.

"What? What do you want?" Nabi bends over.

The droid bleeps some more. Nabi shakes her head, confused.

"Listen, I don't speak droid. Can you translate yourself?"

The blue droid shakes his dome left and right, then starts bleeping again. The droid extends one of his arms and points at the insignia on Nabi's shoulder. Nabi looks at the lightsaber symbol and looks back at the droid.

"Yeah...? It's the Jedi symbol," she tells him.

The droid nods and starts rolling away. Nabi looks on with her eyebrow raised. After a few feet of traveling the droid stops and turns around. He barks at Nabi with more aggressive bleeps.

"You want me to follow you?" Nabi inquires.

The droid nods. Nabi approaches the droid.

"Listen, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but I don't have time to play games."

The droid bleeps back. A hovertrain arrives at the station, and Nabi prepares to board it. The droid scrambles and grabs her hand before she can step aboard.

"Hey!" Nabi shakes her arm free.

The droid protests and grabs her leg.

"No! Get off!" she swats him.

The droid holds on tight to her muscle. She can't break loose.

"That's it."

Nabi pushes her hand forward, and the droid flies back. He tips over onto the ground. Nabi ensures he can't get up and then boards the train.

* * *

**17.** **LET US RETURN TO OUR DUTIES**

Inside the Chancellor's Office, Satine and Obi-Wan look out at the cityscape lit up by the orange afternoon sun.

"One of the benefits of this job is being able to look out at the whole world and forget everything that troubles you," Satine's eyes move across Coruscant's skyline.

"Yes," Obi-Wan's eyes move with hers, "it may be well overpopulated. But, it is still the beating heart of our galaxy."

After a while, Satine smirks, "Do you remember the time when I saved you from that Death Watch conveyer belt?"

"Oh… yes," Obi-Wan rolls his eyes. "How could I forget? You were enjoying a fancy meal with Pre Vizsla while I was hanging upside down in a ray shield."

"You were the one who told me to keep Vizsla preoccupied!" Satine accuses him.

"I had to find out whether the mines were still operational," Obi-Wan reasons.

Satine shakes her head, "You're just lucky I pressed the right button."

" _I'm_ lucky I could hop off of that canister before the wheels could grind me."

"And, who kicked that canister for you?" Satine looks at him.

"Kicked it? You mean who pulled it towards him," Obi-Wan looks at her.

"You still can't admit that _I_ helped you," Satine smiles at him.

"Oh no, I can admit that. But, I can't let you take all the credit," Obi-Wan smirks.

Satine shakes her head and starts to blush. She looks away from Kenobi and at the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan looks at the temple as well. Then, he looks at her once again, and she refuses to look back.

"Satine…," Obi-Wan senses her feelings, "...I thought we resolved this already. That it would be too detrimental to our responsibilities if we..."

He looks at her once more, and her gaze remains on the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan looks down.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel the same way," the Jedi Master sighs. "Had you said the word, I would've left the Jedi Order long ago."

Satine slowly looks at him once again. Her blue eyes twinkle. Then, she turns away before any emotion comes forth.

"Yes, you're right," Satine gulps, looking down.

She wipes her eyes.

"This would be… too injurious for our duties," she continues. "I must get back to the business of diplomacy while you return to… peacekeeping."

"Yes…," Obi-Wan regretfully looks down, not knowing what else to say.

"Let us return to our duties. Goodbye, Chancellor," he finishes.

He turns around and abruptly leaves the office. The door closes between them.

Obi-Wan returns to his apartment. He places his hand on a scanner, and the door to his room opens. He steps inside, removes his cloak. Then, he approaches a brown box and opens it. He unclips his lightsaber from his belt and places it into the box. Next to his saber lies an image of Satine smiling on a locket. Obi-Wan looks at her smile and faintly smiles back.

Suddenly, a black-masked and hooded figure grabs Kenobi from behind and smothers his face. The Jedi Master tries wrestling the figure off, but the strangler hurls him to the floor. Quickly losing oxygen, Obi-Wan's eyes desperately roll around. He spots his lightsaber box and reaches for it, force pulling his saber towards him. However, his assailant force pushes the saber away. Kenobi's eyes widen before completely shutting.

* * *

**18.** **HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT**

Nabi returns to the Jedi Temple as the sitrus shaded sun sets. She searches among the crowds of Jedi for her bearded master. She doesn't see him. Once she clears through the crowd, she searches for his face at the gates. She still doesn't see him.

"Where is he?" she says to herself.

Surprised that he hasn't shown up before her, like he usually does, Nabi sits down on the grass and waits. She checks the time on her holocommunicator, then presses a button. Her holocom beeps, trying to establish a signal with Kenobi's holocom. The device continues to beep without any response from Kenobi's side. Nabi stops the call and drops her arm, shaking her head.

As dusk begins to settle, Nabi tries meditating in the Temple's gardens. But her anxiety and impatience eat away at her concentration, keeping her worried about her master. When the moon starts to rise, Nabi hurries into the Jedi Temple and stumbles into the High Council Chamber where the other Jedi Masters meet.

"Grandmaster Dooku!" Nabi spots the elderly Jedi.

"Yes, Padawan Freedom?" Dooku raises an eyebrow. "We were just preparing for your Trials."

"Have you seen Master Kenobi?" Nabi presses. "I tried looking everywhere, but he hasn't shown up at all. I thought he was here with you."

Nabi looks at the other Jedi and doesn't spot her master's face among them.

"No…," Dooku looks at his colleagues with concern, "...we have not seen him either."

"Didn't you leave with him after dueling today?" Luminara asks Nabi.

"Yeah. But we left separately, and I haven't heard from him since," Nabi says.

"Your Trials will start in thirty minutes," Shaak Ti informs Nabi. "Without your master, you will not be eligible to commence the tests."

Nabi's heart drops. She looks down and starts to hyperventilate.

Deep within an alleyway, Obi-Wan's unconscious body is hurled into the trunk of a black speeder. His masked kidnapper shuts and locks the trunk, returning back to his apartment room. Inside the room sofas tip over, cabinets fly open, glass shatters; all kinds of furniture are thrown about. The kidnapper chips away the floor with their sharp boots, looking beneath the tiles. Suddenly, someone knocks on the front door. The kidnapper's head instantly snaps towards the door. On the other side of the door, Nabi pounds on the metal repeatedly.

"Hello? Master? Are you there?" she presses her ear against the door.

She pounds more aggressively.

"Hello?! Master! My Trials are going to start! And everybody's waiting for you. I can't do them unless you're there! Please, open the door now! Ugh!"

Nabi throws her hand up, and the door lifts by itself. She marches inside her master's room and freezes at the torn boxes and broken glass scattered across the floor. Nabi carefully steps onto the chipped floor tiles and gapes at the overturned sofas and shredded walls. She hears a thud in the other room. Her eyebrows tense. She tilts her head and tiptoes towards the room carefully.

"Master? Are you there?" Nabi's voice quivers.

She steps inside her master's bedroom which is all scattered and torn apart as well.

"Master?..."

The masked kidnapper silently tiptoes behind her, raising their arms above the Jedi's head. Nabi suddenly freezes. Then, she force pushes the kidnapper back and ignites her lightsaber.

"Stop! Who are you?!" Nabi points her blade forward.

The kidnapper flips back and lands on their feet, raising their masked head. Nabi stares at the masked figure, slightly trembling. Suddenly, the figure's hand reaches out, and Nabi loses grip of her lightsaber. The saber flies across the room, and the figure catches it, pointing the blue blade at its owner.

Nabi gulps. She shivers as the figure slowly walks towards her with her own weapon. Nabi looks around for anything to defend herself with. She hurls drawers, books, and pillows at the figure; all of which are slashed down by Nabi's saber. Nabi steps backwards and trips over a brown box. She looks at the box, noticing her master's lightsaber laying beside it.

The figure finally stands over Nabi and raises the blue lightsaber above her head. As the figure swings down for a killing blow, Nabi ignites her master's saber and blocks the figure's attack. As Nabi struggles to keep the kidnapper's weight above her, she catches a glimpse of the fiery, yellow eyes behind the kidnapper's black mask. Nabi's own eyes sink at the pure rage seething before her.

The Jedi suddenly rolls under her master's bed, and the kidnapper falls forward with their weight. Nabi stands up on the other side of the bed and throws the entire mattress at the kidnapper before they can react. Nabi then leaps out of a window as the kidnapper slashes through the mattress and marches towards the windowsill. The kidnapper looks down, watching Nabi hustle through an alleyway towards the open cityscape.

While running, Nabi frantically presses her holocom, trying to establish a signal to the Jedi Temple. But, the device continues beeping with no signal detected.

"Come on! Come on!" Nabi groans. "Why'd you have to pick a neighborhood with a crappy HoloNet signal, Master?"

Off in the distance, Nabi spots a local holocom booth on a street corner. She shoves past the pedestrians in her way, rushing towards the booth. Meanwhile inside the booth, a frivolous woman shows her holographic friends a new purse she just bought. Suddenly, Nabi barges inside.

"Sorry, ma'am! I have to use this!" Nabi pushes the woman outside and forces the door shut.

The woman viciously bangs on the booth as Nabi dials up the Jedi Temple again. The holocom beeps for a few seconds, then it finally establishes a static connection with a hologram of what appears to be Grandmaster Dooku.

"Grandmaster!" Nabi panics. "Grandmaster Dooku! There's a-

The hologram of Dooku phases in and out, with his words barely audible.

"What?! I don't understand!" Nabi worries. "Can you hear me?!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Nabi notices a blue lightsaber flying closer towards the reflection of the booth's glass windows. Nabi instantly drops down as the saber smashes through the windows. She looks behind at the assailant fast approaching with her lightsaber.

The Jedi looks around for any escape. She spots a parking lot filled with multi-colored speeders down the block. Nabi rushes down the street as pedestrians scram away from the black-masked kidnapper. Once Nabi reaches the parking lot, she looks around for any idling speeders. She spots a pilot who just revved up a black speeder bike's engines.

"Hey, sir! I need to use that!" Nabi rushes up to him.

"Wha?" the biker turns to face her.

Nabi shoves the man off his seat and takes over the bike's handles. The man gets up and barks at her as she takes off with his speeder bike. The masked kidnapper stares on as Nabi speeds into the wild air traffic of the city. Nabi fiddles with the throttle and brake levers, stopping and accelerating the bike.

"How do you use this thing?"

Dozens of airspeeders zoom right over her head.

"AH!" she ducks and cowers down.

Her brunette hair wildly whips around as each speeder carelessly honks at her.

"Get out of the way, grandma!" a teenage boy zips past.

Nabi tries pushing the bike's throttle all the way forward, and she blasts off at full-speed. All of the city's bright, flashing lights coupled with the gusting wind water her eyes. She weaves her body left and right, dodging speeders as best she can. A red hand glows on a traffic light ahead. All of the speeders in front of Nabi slow down, but she speeds up. She zips past the red light and enters the intersection by herself. An enormous airbus bustles towards her broadside. Its honk bellows as Nabi drops down immediately, narrowly avoiding a collision.

She enters another airway, and an airspeeder nearly rear-ends her. She yanks her speeder to the right and spins out of control. She screams as the speeder flies out of the airway and into a construction zone. The speeder busts through a couple traffic signs and nearly smashes into some construction workers.

"Sorry!" Nabi pleads to the workers shaking their fists at her.

She gains a grip of the handlebars again and zooms into another airway. Suddenly, an entire squad of police drones start to pursue her. Hearing their high-pitched sirens, Nabi looks behind.

"Oh crap…," she shivers.

"Halt! Pull over!" the flashing blue and red drones demand.

The speeders behind Nabi slow down and pull over to the side, but she speeds away even faster from the police. Another squadron of police drones bustles in front of her. She yanks on the brake lever, abruptly stopping. She looks back at the squad behind her, and realizes she's trapped.

Out of the corner of her eye, Nabi notices a ship fly up into the atmosphere. She looks up, noticing the night sky is clear. She looks back down at the police, then takes off towards the stars. Her speeder bike tilts to a vertical angle. Nabi's body starts to slip off the seat. She grips the handlebars tighter. Her face winces, and she screams out in agony as she arches the bike over a building.

She returns to a horizontal path and tries regaining her breath as the police drones follow suit. They begin to shoot a volley of blaster bolts at her. She gasps as a few whizz past her.

The Jedi looks back and protests, "What?! Is that even legal?!"

A single shot blasts into her speeder's rear-end. Her whole body shakes along with the entire bike. She starts to smell the black smoke blowing out of the speeder's rear.

"Oh no..."

Her bike dips down towards the city once more; its repulsorlift engines damaged. The drones still relentlessly shoot at her. She dodges as many shots as she can. But, one drone makes the fatal shot. Her bike explodes. Her body flies off. She screams helplessly as she falls to her death.

Suddenly, she lands hard onto a pilot's seat. A cockpit closes in around her. Nabi looks around as she feels her body rising. A blue astromech droid bleeps at her outside the cockpit – the same droid that Nabi encountered earlier. The blue droid flies the fighter in front of the police drones and shoots them all down. The droid twirls his dome and chirps enthusiastically.

Nabi straightens herself out, shaking her head. She looks up, and the stars of space surround her. She gasps, thinking she's out of oxygen. But after a few moments, she eases herself, realizing she's inside a starfighter. The droid pilots the ship out of Coruscant's atmosphere and enters the cold vacuum of space. Then, the droid slips the ship into a hyperdrive booster ring. Once the ship locks in place, it blasts off into hyperspace.


	7. Lotho Minor - The Feast

**19.** **YOU'RE A SITH?**

Obi-Wan gasps and wakes up. He blinks multiple times and looks around, realizing he's in a grey, dimly lit cell. He tries moving his arms and legs, but he's as stuck as a man in carbonite. His body levitates in mid-air, trapped inside a ray shield. The door to the cell slides open, and a dark silhouette walks in. Kenobi squints at the shadow slowly approaching.

"Who are you?!" the Jedi Master demands.

The figure steps out of the shadows, revealing themselves to be the masked burglar who kidnapped him.

"What do you want from me?" Obi-Wan weakly asks.

The masked figure lowers their head and removes their mask. Obi-Wan's eyes widen upon seeing the red face of a young Twi'lek woman with black tattoos etched across her skin. Suddenly, a red lightsaber ignites from the Twi'lek's right glove. Kenobi's heart skips a beat.

"You're… you're a Sith?" Obi-Wan slowly gulps and looks at her yellow eyes.

The Twi'lek does not respond. Obi-Wan studies her red lightsaber.

"I thought… the Sith were extinct. They had disbanded… fallen apart generations ago."

The Twi'lek shakes her head.

"Where. Is. The Kyber Crystal?" she points her lightsaber beside his face.

* * *

**20.** **CRASH LANDING**

The blue astromech droid's starfighter blasts out of hyperspace. He pilots the ship towards a dark-brown planet, with Nabi as his passenger.

"Hey!" she knocks on the cockpit glass. "Why did you take me?! You…you kidnapped me!"

The droid bleeps. His speech translates into Nabi's language on the cockpit's monitor. The Jedi reads the translation.

"Saved me?!" she looks at the droid. "I was doing fine on my own! I didn't need your help!"

The droid grunts.

Nabi scoffs, "Excuse me?!"

She looks up, and the muddy planet encapsulates their entire view. Nabi knocks on the cockpit glass again.

"Hey! Hey! Why are we going here?!"

The droid bleeps frustratedly.

"What?! Who is your friend? Do I know him? Why do you think I can save him?!"

The droid insults her.

Nabi scowls at the droid, "Grrr…"

The ship enters the brown planet's atmosphere. Endless clouds and hazy smoke pollute the brown sky. Dirt and moist smear across the starfighter's cockpit.

"How can you see?" Nabi squints at the brown fog.

A thunderous rupture shakes the entire ship. Pellets of raindrops peck the glass. Suddenly, a tall, natural-looking structure appears out of thin air. The droid tilts the ship away from it at the last second. Nabi braces on tight.

"Whoa!" she looks back at the structure. "Why don't you slow down?! You can't see where you're going!"

The droid bleeps.

"I'll tell you what to do! I'm a person, and you're a-

The ship lifts into the air unexpectedly; a spit of fire blasts beneath the starfighter. The droid tries to maintain control as the ship starts to dive down at full speed. Nabi spots some littered land beneath the pollution, and they're headed straight for it.

"Slow down!" Nabi shouts.

The droid frantically bleeps nonstop. A stretch of cables suddenly appears in front of them.

"Slow down!" she screams.

The droid tries moving away, but the ship hits the cables and spins out of control. Nabi screeches. The droid bleeps hysterically. The ship crashes into the ground and violently tumbles across the dirt. Nabi's head lurches in all directions. The droid's dome swivels around and around. The ship tumbles straight into a scrap heap and finally rests on its belly, angled at a slope. The engines whine down and go silent.

The droid starts to swivel his dome again, checking his surroundings. He turns towards the scrap heap, hearing a rumble from above. His camera looks up, and then an avalanche of scrap metal, trash bags, and other garbage pour on top of him.

The droid bleeps furiously and ejects from the fighter's slot. He rolls around in circles, shaking the soggy peels and left-over food off his body. Then, he looks back at Nabi who hasn't moved since their crash-landing. He bleeps at her. She doesn't respond. The droid moves closer to the ship again. Beneath the moist covering the glass, the droid notices Nabi's eyes are shut tight, and her head is slumped to the side.

A pile of rocks suddenly crumble in the distance. The droid turns around and zooms in his camera. He starts to hear muffled voices and detects multiple life-forms approaching. He looks at Nabi once more.

"I heard it crash somewhere around here…," a deathly whisper approaches.

"Keep lookin'," a rougher voice grunts.

A group of people dressed in darkened, sweat-stained rags round the corner, carrying metal staffs, spears, and knives. They all wear necklaces held together by humanoid teeth. One of the group member's faces bears a demonic make-over of war-paint.

"I found it," a large hairy man, only wearing a soggy pair of underwear, points.

He spits a fingernail out and licks his chops, unveiling his bloody, rotten teeth. The other members scramble towards the wrecked starfighter.

"Looks like they had a bit of a rough landing. Eh?"

The group laughs. One of the members, a wrinkled and skeletal, hunchbacked woman, hops on top of the starfighter's cockpit and wipes away the moist covering the glass. Her near toothless mouth lets out a tribal cheer.

"What did you find?!" the group presses her.

"A girl," the woman croaks. "A young one too..."

Their bloodshot eyes widen, and their tongues slither across their bloody lips.

"Oh…, I can't wait for tonight…," a one-legged man rubs his hands together.

The hunchbacked woman busts her spear through the cockpit's glass.

"Is she alive?!" another person demands.

The hunchbacked woman bends down and licks the blood flowing down Nabi's soft cheek. She swallows the blood with a savoring smile, looking back at the group.

"Yes…," she hisses. "She's alive and warm…"

They all start to cackle.

"Get her out of there!"

A couple of members rip away the straps and unbuckle the seatbelt holding Nabi in. The man with demonic war-paint lifts the Padawan's light body from the ship.

"Ah…, she's petite too!" he slurps.

"Don't you dare, gluck! I found her first! I get the largest piece!" the hairy man threatens.

"I smashed open the cockpit!" the hunchbacked woman whines. "I get the biggest piece!"

Before everyone starts to argue, the one-legged man freaks out.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"

Everyone looks at him.

"Whas that?" he points at the lightsaber hilt dangling from Nabi's hip.

The large hairy man snatches it and points it up against his bushy torso.

"I don't know! Maybe it's a-

He presses a button on the hilt, and a blue blade beams through his chest. He collapses to the ground, and the lightsaber shuts off. The rest of the group back away in fear. Except the man with demonic war-paint, who carefully picks up the lightsaber. He ignites the plasma beam, inspecting it. He looks at the dead hairy man's cauterized wound and looks back at the saber.

"Looks like we have a torch, mates!" he holds the saber up in the air.

He points the blade at Nabi.

"We can sear her flesh with this…"

They cackle maniacally, "Oh… yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

"Bring his body too!" the man with the lightsaber points at the dead hairy man.

The other members start to lift the hairy man's heavy corpse.

"We're going to be stuffed tonight, lads!"

They all leave, carrying Nabi and the hairy man's corpse on their backs. The blue astromech droid nervously peeks out from behind a mound of trash.

* * *

**21.** **OUR NEXT MEAL**

Nabi's eyes slowly open and blink a couple times. She looks down at the stone ground and up at the stalactite ceiling. She gasps at a human skull looking down at her. As her chest heaves outwards, several sharp objects poke into her body. Nabi lets out a quiet, painful cry. She gasps out loud once she sees the skeletal rib cage around her. Its bones dig deep into her ribs. She dangles helplessly above the ground.

"Where am I?" her frightened eyes look around.

She notices other skeletal ribcages dangling from a rope beside her. Her arms try wiggling free, but they're trapped within the bones. The sharp bones dig deeper into her skin, and she groans excruciatingly. Every movement she makes, the bones dig deeper into her soft body.

She looks down at the sharp bones and eyes them with full intent. Sweat leaks down her forehead. A vein pops across her hairline. Her cheeks vibrate intensely. Her face slowly turns red. The bones on the rib cage jiggle a bit, then one by one they separate from her skin and stretch away. Nabi thuds onto the floor, setting herself free as she desperately gasps for air.

After recovering on the floor, Nabi stealthily crouches around the cave. As she follows the torches lighting up the tunnels, she discovers the impoverished lifestyle of her kidnappers. Dirty rugs and carpets serve as beds. Ragged, colorless clothes lay on top of them like blankets. And besides each makeshift bed lay rusted, bloody knives.

Nabi approaches the entrance to another room blocked off by a web of skeletal arms and legs dangling like windchimes. Nabi touches one of the skeletal hands and raises a bony finger to ensure this nightmare is reality. She ducks under the bones and enters the next room.

A loud, vicious crunching in the room shocks her. Nabi carefully sneaks under a wooden table to inspect a malnourished, lone man munching on his meal. He spits something into the small fire before him, then continues biting through his food. Nabi carefully approaches from behind, curious as to what he's eating. She rises a little and leans forward to see his meal.

Her eyes back out immediately once they witness the unimaginable. The man lifts up a charred human foot in the air and bites off the big toe. He crunches on the toe relentlessly, then dives back in for more. Meanwhile, Nabi quickly scurries out of the cave into the cold night.

Tall shadows of narrow mountains tower above her. She dashes around them, trying to flee this skin-peeling horror. Everytime she runs past a mountain, another one appears. Everywhere she turns, a mountain appears. Mountains surround her everywhere.

Her head spins around in circles. She looks up at the moon above and hears the chanting of deep voices a short distance away. Without thinking, she races towards the chants, and her spine shivers upon hearing a young man's shrill cries. Nabi freezes beneath a glowing bonfire.

The screaming man, bound to a pole, is carried towards the bonfire. Nabi's sheltered eyes are paralyzed. Short shadows step near the fire; their bodies appear covered with blood. The chants grow louder. Nabi's ears start to understand their words.

"EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT!"

The young man's body is placed over the bonfire. His screams screech louder than the chants.

"More! More!" the man with demonic war-paint demands, realizing the fire isn't touching the man's skin.

The hunchbacked woman arrives with a jug of oil. She dumps the fuel sparingly.

"EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT!" the chant intensifies.

The bound man's voice box nearly shoves past his throat. His bloodshot eyes open as wide as his mouth. His entire near-naked body glows in the darkness. Suddenly, the flames engulf into a larger fire and swallow the man whole.

"YEAH!" all of the shadows cheer.

Nabi's soul sinks back into its shell. She starts backing away slowly until she bumps into another mountain. Nabi turns around and yelps. It wasn't a mountain she bumped into, just a mountain of a man. The eight foot monster peers into her shell and tries to snatch out her soul. Nabi's little fists punch him, but his solid chest doesn't flinch. The giant's log-sized arms grab her, crushing her body more than the rib cage ever did.

Nabi notices a small knife on the ground. She reaches out for it. It flies towards her numb fingers, and she stabs the beast's arm. The giant cries and releases his hold. Nabi struggles to her feet as other shadows surround her.

"Back!" she points the knife at them. "Get back! I'm warning you!"

Then, the eight foot giant snatches Nabi again and tosses her body down a mound of trash. Nabi lands safely on a pile of grass. She looks closer at the soft, curly strands beneath her and concludes from the yellows, reds, and blacks that it's not grass. It's actually human hair.

"Oh my! Oh my! What?! What is this?!" Nabi cries.

The eight foot monster stands at the top of the mound and calls to his friends.

"Looks like our next meal just volunteered herself!"

The rest of the cannibals laugh. Suddenly, an explosion catches them all off guard. The eight footer looks back and rushes towards the chaos. Nabi sits up, hearing battle cries and blaster fire at the top. She timidly climbs up and bears witness to the battle waging on between two groups.

One group, the cannibals, rush towards their enemies with spears and butcher knives. Their enemies keep a distance, shooting lasers and hurling thermal detonators. The Jedi isn't sure if she should fight with the invaders. But, she's certain she isn't siding with the cannibals.

* * *

**22.** **THE GALAXY'S GO-TO DUMPSTER**

A group of the cannibals' opposition charges over a mound and splits into two teams.

"Owen! You enter their hideout! We have the rest here!" a tall, black-bearded man commands.

The shaggy man named Owen rushes into the cannibals' den, shooting down its owners. The tall, black-bearded man shoots down and melees any cannibal around him. Then, he starts coughing relentlessly until a familiar hum attracts his attention. He turns around and leans back at the sight of a wild man swinging a blue lightsaber around, failing to deflect any blaster bolts. The black-bearded man approaches the wild man with the saber.

"Come 'ere! Come 'ere!" the wild man swings the saber as blaster bolts whiz past him.

The black-bearded man starts to violently cough behind the wild man. The wild man turns around and points the saber at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the bearded man clears his throat. "I couldn't help but admire your stupidity. Would you like me to teach you a lesson?"

"NO!" the wild man charges forth with the lightsaber.

The bearded man steps aside, and the wild man trips, piercing the saber's blade through his own chest. The blue saber powers down, and the bearded man approaches the idiot's corpse.

"You should've said yes," he says to the dead man.

The bearded man picks up the lightsaber hilt and studies it carefully. Suddenly, his body lurches forward and falls to the ground.

"What the-

The man shakes his head, confused by what hit him. He looks at the saber as it levitates in the air and flies into the hands of Nabi. She ignites the blue blade as the bearded man gawks at her. Nabi points the saber's tip at him.

"Stand down!" she demands.

"Whoa. Whoa...," the man holds his hands up.

"Shut up!" she pushes the blade closer to him. "Why did you eat those people?!"

Tears start to swell in her eyes.

"What?" the man doesn't understand.

"Why did you burn that man?!"

"No. No, we didn't-"

"What kind of monsters are you?!" she holds the saber's tip ever closer to his forehead.

The man closes his eyes.

"Okay. Listen… we're…," he shivers, "...we're not those people. We came here… to rescue you."

"Rescue me?!"

"Yes. R2 told us you were in trouble."

"R2? Who the hell is R2?!"

A blue astromech droid zaps her leg.

"Hey!" Nabi yells.

The droid bleeps frustratedly at her.

"You little…," Nabi almost kicks him.

"R2! R2! It's okay," the bearded man calms the droid. "We're trying to work this out."

Nabi looks at the man and R2.

"You own this droid?" she asks.

"Yes," the man confirms.

"Your droid kidnapped me!" Nabi blames the man. "It took me from my home and brought me here! I wouldn't be in this hellhole if it wasn't for this droid!"

R2 bleeps back an argument.

"Kidnapped you? No. No!" the bearded man retorts. "I did not tell him to kidnap anybody. I told him to contact the Jedi Order for help!"

"The Jedi Order?!" Nabi scoffs. "Well, if you didn't realize, I'm not the Jedi Order!"

"Yes, but you are…," the man pauses then, his heart slowly slides down his chest.

He shoots R2 a glare.

"You didn't talk to the Jedi Order?!" he presses the droid.

The droid burps.

"You didn't even go inside the temple?!"

R2 shakes his dome. The man seethes and pulls the hairs out of his scalp.

"Ugh!" he kicks some dirt. "This is great! Absolutely great! You were our only hope of escaping this desolate rock! And then, you just bring us this girl!"

R2 burps again.

"Excuse me!" Nabi approaches the man. "I may not be the Jedi Order, but I still am a Jedi. I'm not just some girl!"

"Unless you can fly us out of here or find me a new ion engine, then you will be little use to us," the man says.

"What? What are you talking about? Why do you need an ion engine? Don't you have a ship?" Nabi asks.

The bearded man yanks her over and shows her the entire landscape. For endless miles, litter lies across the ground. Stacks of garbage pile up into mountains, disappearing above the thick, mud-colored pollution. Everywhere the eye turns, trash reflects off of it. Not a single spot on the land is clean or even clear for that matter.

"We've been stranded here for a few years. Maybe more… we've just lost count. We crashed here and haven't been able to find a way out since. I'm trying to build a ship, but…"

The bearded man coughs tremendously and spits on the ground once he's finished.

"So…, welcome to Lotho Minor," he clears his throat. "The galaxy's go-to dumpster."

The bearded man brushes past Nabi as she hopelessly stares at the planet-wide garbage pit.


	8. Lotho Minor - Survival of the Fittest

**23.** **A MASTER AND AN APPRENTICE**

Obi-Wan screams as a red lightsaber slowly sears across his skin. The red Twi'lek rips her saber across the left side of Kenobi's back. Then, she moves towards to his right side where all of the ember scars begin. At least a dozen light up across the Jedi's bareback.

"I'm not going to ask you again," the Twi'lek looks him in the eye. "Where… is it?"

The Jedi Master takes a long moment to catch his breath. Then, he half-heartedly smirks.

"If that… if that is all you have in store for me, then I'll be quite disa-

The Twi'lek sears her blade across his flesh again. He lets out a long cry of misery. The Twi'lek ends at the Jedi's left and moves towards his right again. Suddenly, the Twi'lek's holocom beeps. She turns off her lightsaber and leaves the room.

The doors open to a separate, secluded room in complete darkness. The Twi'lek steps into the room and kneels on her left knee, bowing her head.

"Master…"

A large holographic image crackles above her. An old hooded man looks down. His black hood is draped over most of his head, concealing his eyes.

"Has the Jedi spoken?" a slow raspiness croaks from beneath the hood.

"No… he is strong in the Force," the Twi'lek refuses to look up at the hooded face.

"And, you are stronger than him! Remember... why I chose _you_ , Lord Venger."

The Twi'lek Sith Lord, Darth Venger looks down, haunted by her memories.

"We must obtain the kyber crystal at all costs," the hooded man continues. "It is one of the last few remaining."

"Yes, my master," Darth Venger understands.

"If we can pierce the Jedi… on a personal level…," the hooded man suggests.

"Yes…," the hooded man smiles deviously. "The Chancellor and the Jedi are very close. They once formed an intimate attachment towards each other."

Darth Venger realizes, "If she is tortured..., then he may speak."

"Can it be done?" the old man coldly demands.

"He will confess, or she will die, my master," Darth Venger promises.

The hooded man's smile wrinkles across his decrepit face.

* * *

**24.** **THE SCAVENGERS**

Nabi looks around, distraught by the landscape and the horrors that transpired on it. A red-bearded man lifts up one of the wounded cannibal's bodies.

"Bo… oh Bo…," the red-beard touches his face.

The cannibal wheezes.

"I'm sorry, mate," the red-bearded man says. "I'm so sorry, mate."

Nabi quickly approaches the red-beard and swats his hand away from the cannibal.

"Hey! Don't touch him! He's going to eat you!"

"What? He's my friend…," the red-beard explains.

"What?...," Nabi asks, confused.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before," the shaggy man Owen approaches Nabi.

"I'm-

"She's… the one we came for," the black-bearded man cuts in.

"What?" Owen looks at Nabi. "This girl is supposed to be our ticket out of here?"

"This wasn't the plan, Owen. There was supposed to be a whole group of people coming here, but… R2 misinterpreted me."

"Oh, I get it now. After all these years of telling us, 'Don't worry. The Jedi are coming to save us,' your droid 'misinterprets' you…"

"Owen, we are getting out of here! Trust me! It's only a matter of time," the black-beard retorts.

"Yeah… keep dreaming. That's all you were good at anyways," Owen walks away.

"Eh! Anakin!" the red-beard shouts.

The black-beard Anakin turns around.

"We're gonna bring them with right?" the red-beard indicates the wounded cannibals.

Anakin looks at the cannibals.

"Are you nuts?!" Owen approaches the red-beard. "These people are animals!"

"They're your friends too!" the red-beard retorts

"I don't make friends with people who ate my friends!" Owen yells back.

"Guys…," Anakin tries separating the two.

"You don't have any friends at all, Owen!" the red-beard shouts.

"Oh, you want a hole through your head?!" Owen lifts his blaster.

"Guys…," Anakin says.

"Oh, I'll snap your neck, boy!" the red-beard threatens Owen.

"Go ahead. Prove it you big dumb animal!" Owen urges him.

"ALRIGHT! ENOUGH!" Anakin yells.

He looks at the two men. Nabi looks at all of them silently.

"You're both gonna cut this crap and get along! I've already seen enough division amongst us," Anakin looks down at the wounded cannibals.

"We'll bring them all with..., and we'll treat them like we did before," Anakin decides. "And hopefully..., they'll get back to normal."

"Thank you, Anakin," the red-beard says, eyeing Owen sternly.

Owen shakes his head and mutters, "Sick…"

"Now, get ready. We're headed for R2's crashed ship," Anakin starts to leave.

Everyone else follows suit.

* * *

**25.** **WHAT THIS PLANET WILL DO TO YOU**

They trudge their way past the large trash mountains. Nabi walks alongside Anakin. She looks back at some of the others carrying wounded cannibals on their backs.

"I thought you said you weren't those people," she reminds Anakin.

"We're not," he says.

"Then, why are you carrying them?!" she whispers.

Anakin takes a long while to answer. He looks down at the ground and closes his eyes. He doesn't answer at all. They come upon a damaged starfighter leaning against a scrap heap.

"Is this the ship?" Anakin asks.

R2 bleeps confirmation.

"Yeah…, it is," Nabi cocks her head. "I didn't realize it landed there."

Anakin leaps on top of the ship and inspects it.

"What caused you to spin out of control?" he asks.

R2 bleeps a long explanation.

"You hit some cable wires…," Anakin recites his bleeps.

"Volcanic eruption?!" Anakin curiously looks at the droid.

The droid nods and reaffirms his explanation.

"Well, there aren't any volcanoes here that I know of," Anakin walks behind the ship.

"But, there are-

He stops once he sees the black, melted underside of the ship's belly. But most importantly, he stares at the charred ion engines on the back of the ship.

"There are the ion engines! You said you needed one!" Nabi points out.

"So, how does it look, Anakin?" the red-beard asks.

Anakin swallows the truth harshly and doesn't respond. The others walk towards the back of the ship in curiosity, but that curiosity killed them once they saw the truth as well.

"Let's go," Anakin starts to leave.

"Wait!" Nabi runs after him. "I thought you wanted one of the engines. That's what we came for, right?"

"I did!" Anakin marches past her frustratedly. "But, I didn't realize they were all burnt!"

"Well, can't you use a burnt engine somehow?" Nabi walks up to him.

"No, idiot! I can't!" he yells at her.

"Hey! _I_ am not an idiot!" she points at him.

"Then, build a damn ship for me!" he retorts.

Anakin angrily marches off, leaving Nabi insulted. The whole group trudges through the littered badlands of Lotho Minor. Nabi keeps her distance from Anakin, scowling at him for the entire way.

"Eh," the red-bearded man trudges beside her. "Don't take Anakin personally. He can get a little wound up sometimes."

"I can see that," she stares at their black-bearded leader.

"So, what's your name?" the red-beard asks her.

"Nabi," she looks at him. "What's yours?"

"Nabi… that's a cute name," the red-beard remarks. "Well, I'm Dengar. The brightest star you're ever gonna meet here."

"More like the dumbest," Owen cuts in.

"I love you too, Owen!" Dengar smiles.

He points at the shaggy haired Owen for Nabi.

"That's Owen… Owen Lars. The biggest prick I've ever known in the galaxy."

Nabi looks at the unconscious cannibal dangling from Dengar's shoulder.

"So… Dengar," she asks, "why are you carrying this... person? He… he hurt people. He was against you guys."

"Oh… this is Bo. He ain't gonna be any harm now," Dengar reassures.

He looks down solemnly, unable to muster a response for a moment. His toughened face softens.

"We'd always go to the bar together, take a few shots. I remember the day he tried to teach me how to play the harp. He'd brighten anyone's day with his beautiful melodies."

Nabi waits for a moment of silence to pass by before asking another question.

"What happened… to him?"

Dengar takes a long while to speak again. His dry eyes start to water.

"Bo…," he sniffs. "Bo… was a very good man. It's just… this planet. What this damn planet will do to you!"

He angrily looks up at the sky. Nabi gulps a bundle of fear down, looking at Bo's body once more. The group eventually reaches an enormous crashed cruiser dug deep into the land.

"Woah…," Nabi gawks at the rusted giant.

R2 gawks as well, bleeping a question for Anakin.

"Yes, this is it, R2," the black-beard sighs. "This is the ship."

* * *

**26.** **DON'T TOUCH MY SHIP**

The group enters the once fabled flagship of the infamous Hondo Ohnaka. Now, it remains nothing more than a rotting shelter for the remainder of the captain's crew. R2 bleeps a question at Anakin.

"I don't know how I survived," he responds. "I only remember waking up and having a very hard time breathing."

Nabi passes through a narrow corridor where malnourished people sit on wrecked wings of starships. They stare at Nabi through bloodshot eyes while biting their own fingernails.

"These are our beds," Dengar points at the starfighter wings.

In the next room, skinny women wash their rags over a barrel. Nabi looks at the sunken faces of the women. Her gut turns at the sight of their spines and shoulder blades popping out of their backs.

"This is where we wash our garb," Dengar points at the rum barrel. "Prepare to smell like a bastard who's spent his whole night drinkin' rum. Course, that's the only drink we have."

They enter the next room, which was once the crowded, crime-infested cantina on the ship. Nabi notices a man chugging down the last drop in his rum bottle. Then, he discreetly pukes all of it out. A female Zabrak bartender washes some silverware behind the collapsed bar counter.

"Sugi…," a grey-bearded hunchback wheezes. "Can you make some red gourd soup?"

"I'll try my best," the bartender sighs.

"Looks like Sugi's about to cook up some lunch. In the meantime, would you like me to show you the rest of the place?" Dengar offers Nabi.

"No…," Nabi brushes past him and marches towards Anakin.

"Hey," she points at the black-beard, "we need to get out of here as soon as possible. You said you had a ship, right?"

"Yeah…," Anakin brushes past some tattered sheets leading to a small shed outside.

"Okay…, so where is it?" she asks anxiously.

"Right here," he says.

The Jedi Padawan looks up and immediately bolts towards the rusty starfighter.

"Hey! Get away from there!" Anakin demands.

Nabi touches the starcraft and instantly looks inside the cockpit. Anakin grabs her arm. She looks up at him with utter joy.

"It's a ship! It's actually a ship!" she exclaims.

"Yeah… yeah…," Anakin tugs her arm, "...now get out of here."

"What? Why are you pulling me?" she smacks his arm away.

"I don't want you to touch my ship," he looks down at her.

"Why not?"

"Because I built it!"

"So?"

"So? So…?" his blood begins to boil. "I've spent three years scouring this whole dumpster to find parts to build this heap of crap, _so_ we - all of us - can get out of here! The last thing I need is someone like you, who doesn't understand **anything** about ships, to take it all away from us!"

R2 starts to grind the rust off the ship's sidings. Nabi points at him.

"Look at him! Why does he get to touch your ship?!"

Anakin looks at his droid, then looks back at her with a ridiculous face.

"Because he's R2! He actually knows how to fix a ship!"

"I know how to fix a ship," Nabi claims.

"Really?" Anakin crosses his arms.

"Yeah… I... read about it in a manual," she shrugs.

"A manual…," Anakin chuckles.

"I'm not kidding. I learned a lot from that datapad. I could probably help you fix your problems."

She moves towards the stern of his ship.

"No… no… no!" Anakin tries grabbing her again.

"What is it? You need an ion engine? Right?" she peers at the ship's engines.

"I need you to get out of here," he tries pushing her away.

"Don't push me!" she pushes him away.

Anakin snorts up a breath of anger.

"You're making me real pissed off with your snippy attitude right now."

"Snippy attitude?!"

"Hey! Kid!" Owen Lars steps into the room, catching them both in a stare-down.

Anakin loses the stare-off and looks at Owen.

"A shipment just dropped by a few klicks from here. Thought you wanted to go check it out," Owen informs him.

"Thanks. I'll be out there in a sec!" Anakin responds.

Owen nods, then looks at Nabi with an evil eye and leaves.

"A shipment? What does that mean?" Nabi asks Anakin.

"It means I have to go out and search for some parts. And _you_ have to go back inside."

"I'm coming with you!" Nabi declares.

"What?" Anakin turns towards her.

"You heard me. I'm going to come with, so I can help you find your _ion engine_ faster."

She rolls her eyes, mocking him. Anakin rolls his eyes and groans.

* * *

**27.** **FLYING THROUGH TRASH**

A group of scavengers rev up their STAPs as Anakin and Nabi arrive. Anakin approaches Owen.

"Where is it?" he bluntly asks.

"Over there," Owen points to the southeast. "Saw a dust storm headed this way. Hope we don't have to go through it."

"Yeah...," Anakin mumbles.

He approaches his own STAP and starts its engines. He glances behind him and remembers Nabi has been following.

"Ugh…," Anakin looks at her. "Do you even know how to pilot this?"

"No," she says. "I've never seen it before. What is it?"

"It's a STAP."

"A what?" she leans closer.

"A Single Trooper Aerial Platform. It was used during the Great Galactic War."

"Huh," she cocks her head to the side.

"Well…," Anakin looks at her, "I guess you're going back inside."

"Back inside?! Why?!"

"Because you don't know how to pilot this."

"Well, maybe _someone_ could teach me, and then I'd learn how," Nabi lays her foot down.

Anakin thinks about it for a moment, then he shakes his head.

"No, you're not coming with."

He steps on top of his STAP.

"What? Why?!" she approaches him.

"Listen, I can only fit one person on here. If I tried adding two-

She steps on top of his STAP, bracing her arms around his abdomen.

"Teach me," she says sassily.

Anakin rolls his eyes and looks forward again. He revs up his engines.

"Alright..., but you better hold on tight, snips."

"What did you just call- ME!?"

Their STAP zips away, leaving the trail of her voice behind. The trash mountains zoom past as Anakin weaves his way around them. With the polluted wind gusting against her face, Nabi can barely open her eyes. She presses her fingers into Anakin's stomach.

"You still alive back there?!" he calls out with a grin.

"Yeah!" she shouts.

"Alright, you see this lever here?" he lets go of the left lever and pilots with one arm.

Nabi looks at his right arm.

"This is your throttle, so you can accelerate!" he explains.

"Is it just like a speeder bike?!" she shouts.

"What?!" Anakin yells.

"Is it like a speeder bike?!" she shouts again.

Anakin doesn't respond for a moment, then he says.

"WHAT?!" he smiles.

"That isn't very funny!" she pouts.

"Yes, it's like a speeder bike, except you're standing instead of sitting."

Anakin flies next to the rest of the STAP pilots. He looks up and notices the ominous dust storm tumbling ahead.

"Well, looks like there's no way around it, kid," Owen looks at Anakin. "We're gonna have to go through."

"Great…," Anakin mutters.

"Fasten your seatbelt! This is going to be a rough ride!" Anakin yells back at Nabi.

Nabi looks down and around her.

"There are no seatbelts!" she yells.

"I didn't mean that literally! Hang on tight!"

He positions his STAP in formation with the other pilots. They zip towards the dust storm barreling through the landscape.

"Why are you heading for that storm?!" Nabi shouts.

"Because it's our only way of getting that shipment!" Anakin yells back.

"Can't you fly above it?!"

"No! Too high!"

Nabi looks up and realizes she can't see the sun anymore. The dark and dusty clouds have completely taken over.

"Oh! I have a bad feeling about this!" she mutters to herself.

They breach into the storm, and their surroundings become nothing more than a thick darkness.

"In cases like this, you have to turn on your headlights!" Anakin tries yelling over the wind's howls.

"It's this button right here!" he shows her.

Nabi tries looking, but the endless dust pierces her eyes.

"Ugh! I can't see!" she shouts.

Nabi wipes her eyes before opening them again. A large mountain of trash quickly zooms up to them.

"Look out!" she points.

Anakin braces away from the scrap pile at the last second.

"I saw it!" he reassures her.

"No, you didn't!" she shuts him down.

Their STAP's little, dim headlights navigate through the dark winds. Anakin tries searching for the other STAP's headlights, but he can't see a thing. He brakes and stops the vehicle completely.

"What are you doing?!" Nabi shouts.

"I lost them!" Anakin looks around.

"There! I see some lights!" Nabi points.

"Where?!" Anakin moves his head.

"There!" she tilts his head in the right direction.

Anakin barely notices the vague beams. He zooms towards them.

"You should slow down! You can't see where you're going!" Nabi advises.

"I can see!" Anakin retorts.

Suddenly, a gargantuan pair of metal jaws rises from below and nearly chomps through both of their bodies like a crocodile. Anakin desperately flies the STAP upwards to avoid the fire spewing inside the metal jaws.

"What is that?!" Nabi's voice shivers.

"Fire-breathers!" Anakin shouts.

"WHAT?!" Nabi gasps.

Anakin dips the STAP down beneath the frigate-sized fire-breathing incinerator droids. Each metal giant busts through the mounds of trash, devouring anything in its path. Anakin looks to his left, noticing massive debris rolling off a trash mountain after a droid busts through it.

"AVALANCHE!" he shouts.

Nabi looks up and ducks her head as drawers, kitchen sinks, and space ships fall past her. Anakin weaves the STAP recklessly around the debris, still moving toward the shipment's drop. Suddenly, the whole mountain starts collapsing right on top of them.

"LOOK OUT!" Nabi screams.

Anakin tilts the STAP at an angle. The mountain tilts even further, squeezing Anakin and Nabi between a rock and a hard place. Anakin tilts his STAP at a complete horizontal angle, heading straight for the narrow gap collapsing a hundred yards away.

"This is going to be a tight squeeze!" he grits his teeth.

Nabi looks over his shoulder, hanging onto him tight. Anakin focuses hard on the gap, determined to keep moving forward whether they make it or not. At the last second, they zip out of the falling mountain before it collapses to the ground.

"YAHOO!" Anakin celebrates.

Nabi blinks a slight disbelief. Anakin eases the STAP and smoothly lands next to the other scavengers. He steps off, shutting down the STAP's engines.

"Ha! I can't believe it," Anakin smiles.

"Nice job, man! You made it!" the other pilots pat him on the back.

Nabi hesitantly steps off of the STAP, still shaken. Anakin looks at her and smirks.

"So, do you still wanna pilot?"

She looks at him as if he's crazy.


	9. Lotho Minor - Fall From Grace

**28\. FALL FROM GRACE**

All of the scavengers dig through piles of trash for the latest shipment drop.

"Alright, fun's over kids," Owen Lars slams a shovel into the garbage. "Time to get back to work."

"Fun's over?" Dengar questions him. "Are you kidding me? This is the funnest part!"

Owen ignores him.

"Look at this," Dengar shows Nabi a black centipede.

"Brunch!" he smiles and chomps on it.

Nabi covers her mouth, stopping herself from upchucking. She quickly evades Dengar, trudging through the trash towards Anakin.

"So, is this what you do… on a daily basis?"

She observes Anakin digging through the mucky litter with his bare hands.

"Yup," he bluntly answers.

Nabi looks at all of the scavengers, diving into the smoldering heaps as if they were swimming. She's the only one who isn't doing so.

"So, are you going to just stand there or help me find my ion engine?" Anakin mocks her.

Nabi covers her nose.

"Well, I was wondering where exactly it would be," she says.

"Well…, it could be anywhere!" Anakin exclaims. "I mean look at all of this. Snotty tissues, used toilet paper, left-over food, bantha crap."

He rummages through the infinite piles of trash.

"It'll take at least two months to get through all of this," he says.

Nabi's eyes widen and her hand drops from her nose.

"Two months?!"

"Yeah…?" Anakin looks up and raises an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

"I don't have time for two months! I have to find my master! I have to get home! I have to get out of here! I have got to get out of here!" she panics.

"Okay! Start digging!" Anakin raises his voice.

Nabi eyes him coldly.

"You know what?!" she approaches him. "NO! I don't have to do anything, OKAY?! Because you brought me here! You kidnapped me!"

"What the hell's wrong with you?!" Anakin stands taller than her. "You said you wanted to come with, so you can help me scavenge. And now you're just moaning and complaining about everything?!"

All of the scavengers stop digging and watch their heated conversation.

"Oh..., I see…," Anakin sizes her up, "You think you're too good for this, don't you? You think because you grew up in a decent home, took a shower everyday, went to a state-of-the-art school, and got a perfect score on every single test makes you entitled."

Nabi slaps his face. Everyone gasps. Then, Nabi punches Anakin in the jaw. He slips backwards on the trash and starts coughing out blood.

"I don't deserve any of this!" she stands over him. "I am the top of my class in the Jedi Academy! I have beaten some of the best records ever set by Jedi Masters! I have even accomplished the final exam in record time with a record score! I deserve to be a Jedi Knight rather than digging around in trash with garbage like you!"

The trash under her feet gradually slides out, catching her off balance. Nabi slips and falls backwards, reaching out for Anakin's help. But, he doesn't offer a hand. Instead, he watches her body roll down a mound of trash and splash into a slushy puddle of mud.

Dengar immediately rushes to her aid, "Nabi! Nabi! Are you okay?!"

The aspiring Jedi Knight slowly lifts her now trash-covered, stinky body. She wipes away the excrement covering her eyes and slowly opens them to look at the reality she's in. Not a hint of her white skin can be spotted; she is coated with poodoo from head to toe. Nabi screams like a toddler, kicking and splashing mud everywhere. Meanwhile, Anakin breathes aggressively, seething from the pain and humiliation he also suffered.

"Eh, are you alright, Anakin?" Dengar checks up on him.

The black-beard marches off without looking at anybody.

Back inside the crashed cruiser, a mud-covered Nabi pleads for water. Some offer her rags to wipe herself with. But, she smacks them away.

"I need a bath!" she exclaims. "I need… A BATH!"

She spots the rum barrel that's used to wash laundry. She runs and dives headfirst into it. Everyone around the barrel jumps back as Nabi's legs splash above the surface of the liquor. Her head breaks free, gasping for air. For the remainder of the day, Nabi wades in the rum, scrubbing every speck of mud off her smooth skin.

"She's never gonna make it," Owen mutters to his comrades.

Eventually, Nabi wraps herself inside a ripped towel and tiptoes barefooted on top of the rusty metal floor. She retreats outside, deciding to sit at a spot on top of the cruiser. She looks out at the endless heaps of trash, hoping she'll wake up from this nightmare one day. She spots Dengar below, struggling to ease his cannibal friend Bo. Bo tries gnawing at everyone around him as Dengar holds him down.

"Bo! Bo! It's me! It's me, mate!" Dengar sobs.

Bo aggressively shakes around, trying to chomp on Dengar's nose like a zombie.

"Bo, please! You know me, mate!" Dengar whimpers. "You know me!"

In the distance, Nabi spots a shirtless Anakin, scratching dry, red rashes around his back and torso. His dirty, white skin peels away. Nabi observes that his body looks like it was built much heavier before, but the years of malnutrition sucked that physique away. Anakin looks up at a broken mirror, inspecting his bloody mouth and jaw. Then he catches Nabi's eyes off the reflection of the glass. He instantly turns off his lamp, and pitch black darkness consumes him.

Nabi finally lies down and tries to get some necessary sleep. But, no matter how many times she closes her eyes, she just can't shut off her mind. She looks up at the twinkling stars, pondering the endless possibilities in the galaxy. Then, she realizes what she must do.

* * *

**29\. YOU KILLED ALL OF US!**

The morning sun rises over the steaming wastelands of Lotho Minor. Nothing moves save for two small hands rummaging through a pile of garbage. Nabi, dressed in her now rum-scented Jedi garments, tosses the trash behind her. Her tired, red eyes inspect a metal tube, then she tosses it aside. She grabs her shovel and begins digging her seventy-fifth hole.

Suddenly, her shovel hits something solid. She tosses the shovel aside and digs deeper with her hands. She spots a metal cylindrical object hiding beneath the trash. She tries lifting it with one arm, but almost drops it upon realizing its heavy weight. Nabi quickly wraps her other arm around the object and heaves it out with her whole back strength. She drops it on the ground, collapsing on top of it. Her small body pants heavily, expelling almost all of the energy that was left inside her. She looks at the object and feels it with her fingertips. Her eyes widen, and she cheers by herself.

"I've got it! I've got it!" she jumps up in the air.

Nabi drags the ion engine back towards the crashed cruiser and drops it behind Anakin's hand-built starfighter.

"Now," she looks at the slot where the engine belongs, "how do we put you in there?"

R2's circuits turn on, waking him up. He rotates his dome around, noticing smoke coming out of Anakin's repair shed. He shrieks and rolls inside. Once he rolls in, his body might as well have been frozen by Jawas.

A fire engulfs the rusty starfighter's rear end where the ion engines would be. Nabi desperately tries blowing the fire out with her breath. R2 rolls up next to her, hysterically beeping and waving his arms around.

"I know! I know! It's not a big deal! Trust me!" she says to him.

She snatches an oil-stained rag and beats down the fire with it. But, the fire bursts into an even larger flame, reaching the cockpit.

"Come on! Come on! Will you die down already?!" she panics.

R2 speeds his way out of the room. Meanwhile, Anakin lightly snores at the top of the cruiser. R2's erratic bleeps wake up the black-bearded man. Anakin forces himself to sit up, rubbing his tired eyes. He sniffs a scent and starts coughing from it.

"What is… what's that smell?" he wonders.

Anakin stands up and notices a trail of smoke blowing from inside the cruiser. R2 bleeps hysterically down below him. Anakin tries keeping up with his droid's rapid chirps, and then his face instantly intensifies.

"WHAT?!" he yells.

Back inside the cruiser, everybody wakes up and evacuates outside. Only Nabi and a few others remain inside to tame the wild fire. The Jedi Padawan carries a bucket of rum towards the burning starfighter.

"Move!" she tells Dengar, and she tosses the whole bucket on top of the flames.

She's surprised to see the inferno explode into a great ball of fire and encapsulate the entire ship in flames.

"What?! Why's it growing bigger?!" Nabi shrieks.

Dengar looks at her, "Because alcohol is flammable!"

Anakin rushes inside the shed which is all burning down along with his entire ship.

"No… no… no… no…!" he whimpers.

Nabi steps away, hiding herself from him.

"No…No! NO!" Anakin cries.

A burst of fire blows up a few feet before his face. The blast knocks him off his feet. Dengar tries dragging Anakin away from the fire.

"Come on, mate. We have to go!"

"My ship! My ship!" Anakin sobs, reaching out for his creation.

He watches all of the years he sacrificed, all of the blood he spilt, all of the days where he'd starve himself to build their only escape crumble right before his very eyes. The ship finally explodes into oblivion; massive balls of fire rise into the atmosphere. Everyone looks up at the fiery balls with sheer hopelessness.

Meanwhile, kneeling on the ground is an angered, blood-boiling, black-bearded man, who's ready to snap at any given moment. His anger releases in the form of hot tears, melting down his face like molten lava. Nabi gulps at the fireballs, then she looks at Anakin. Her heart wrenches, feeling the pain from his scarred heart.

"I'm sorry," she squeaks.

She said it to Anakin without even thinking, but now she hopes he didn't hear it.

"Get out," he threatens in a deep voice.

"What?" she worries.

Tears start to swell in her eyes.

"I SAID GET OUT!" he yells, pushing her to the ground with every ounce of hatred in his heart.

Nabi notices how much yellower his blue eyes have turned. Dengar tries pushing Anakin back.

"Calm down. Calm down, mate."

"You took everything from me," Anakin spits his words out. "You took everything from us. That was our only chance of escape, and YOU RUINED IT! YOU RUINED IT! YOU KILLED ALL OF US!"

The rest of the group stares at Nabi with disgust and malice. The Jedi Padawan starts crying; her whole world starts to fall apart just as Anakin's did. Anakin collapses to the ground relentlessly coughing with no end. Nabi gets up and runs away.

"Wait! Nabi!" Dengar calls to her.

The Jedi Padawan continues to run as far away as she possibly can, never to look back at her mistakes again.

* * *

**30\. THE DEVIL'S OFFER**

Nabi runs for about a mile until breaking down and tripping into a mud puddle, sobbing. Crap covers her entire body once again, but she doesn't care. She doesn't care about anything anymore. She disappointed herself. She's failed herself.

Acid rain starts to pour from the brown, polluted sky. It drenches Nabi, washing away the mud from her clothes and skin. For endless hours, she walks for endless miles, entering an endless dust storm. The storm blinds her eyesight and shivers her soul to the core. Eventually, after hours of walking without any food or drink, she collapses, laying still on top of sewage.

_Overconfidence is a dangerous weakness. It can lead to arrogance and neglect of the people surrounding you. It can lead to your downfall._

Her master's words resonate throughout her very soul. Suddenly, a serpent slithers towards her from a distance. It is an Anacondan ‒ native to this hellhole.

_Hello, I have been expecting you,_ the Anacondan whispers.

_It appears you are unhappy with your life… with yourself,_ the serpent flips its tongue.

_Everyone hates you. You… hate you,_ the reptile slithers around her.

_So, I offer you a chance,_ it hisses.

_A chance to be free of this pain… to be liberated from this purgatory…_

The serpent drags along her lightsaber hilt and drops it in front of her eyes.

_Take it. End your suffering…_

She reaches out for the hilt and clutches it tightly.

_Goooood. Very good. I promise you… eternal peace…_

She holds the metal cylinder beneath her chin.

_Do it,_ the reptilian demands.

She hesitates to switch on the blade, but her thumb starts to press down on the activation button until… the howl of an engine soars overhead. Nabi opens her eyes and lowers the saber. She isn't sure if she's hallucinating, but her eyes spot a brand new starship flying away.

She rushes after the ship, freezing before a wide, open hangar bay filled with shiny, new starfighters. Nabi slides down and crouches on top of the garbage to get a closer look of the hangar. It's fully operational; ships fly in and fly out regularly.

Nabi stands up and starts to head towards the hangar bay without discretion. But then, she second guesses herself since she does not know the people inside the bay. She decides to sneak around the building, eventually spotting a drainage pipe underneath it. Nabi takes out her lightsaber and cuts through the grate to crawl inside.

* * *

**31\. SECRET FACILITY**

As sewage splashes beneath her, Nabi hears the sequential marching of boots above. She looks up at the floor grate, and on the other side groups of armored men and women march in squadrons. Nabi reaches the end of the pipe and sees a ladder leading to a drainage lid above. She climbs up to the lid and uncovers it, checking to see if the coast is clear before climbing out. By the sight of the shower heads around her, Nabi realizes she's in a locker room. Her ears pick up on some voices behind the metal walls. She tiptoes towards them.

"Lord Venger says we're close to our first invasion," a man with a disciplined tone states.

Nabi peeks out from behind the wall. She spots one human man and one human woman dressing next to each other. Both of their muscular, toned bodies are at their prime physique.

"I can't wait to kill a Jedi," the woman responds with a robotic tone.

The man is fully suited in his black plastoid armor whereas the woman hasn't even started. Nabi notices the man clip a lightsaber to his hip before marching out of the room. Once his footsteps disappear, the muscular woman starts to put her steel-toed boots on until Nabi chokes her from behind. The Jedi Padawan clenches her small arms around the woman's throat. The woman tries reaching out for something, but to no avail. Her legs stop kicking, and her lips let out one last breath. Nabi gently lets her unconscious body fall aside, and she begins to drag her towards the drainage lid. She drops the woman into the hole, hearing a big splash at the bottom of the sewer.

Nabi moves back to the woman's locker and inspects all of her armor and equipment. Then, the Jedi steps out of the room fully adorned in the black plastoid armor that the rest of the soldiers wear. She marches at the same pace as them, mimicking their movements. Nabi stares at some of the soldiers' anomalous faces. She passes by a particular group of six women, who all possess the same exact face, same exact hair, and the same exact build as the woman she dropped in the sewer. Nabi looks back at them, and three of their identical faces look back at her. Nabi immediately looks away, shocked that she's encountered septuplets… or so she thinks.

She enters through a separate hallway where another sight perplexes her. Everywhere around the building blue-tinted towers rotate slowly. On the sides of these towers are transparent tubes, holding inside what appears to be a fetus. The fetus floats around the tube with an umbilical cord attached to it.

Nabi gapes at the marvel. Then she looks down and notices Kaminoans observing young girls learning mixed martial arts and playing on starfighter simulations. All of the girls look the same, and there's at least fifty of them in the same exact room. Nabi passes in front of a similar room where boys do the same, and they all look the same. She passes in front of another room where adults do the same, and they all look the same. But, the most disturbing sight awaits in the next hallway. She enters through the doors and freezes at the sight of hundreds, if not, thousands of black-armored and identical adults wielding red lightsabers on the ground below.

"Shii-Cho!" they shout and twirl their blades in unison.

"Makashi!" they swing their hilts.

"Soresu!" they block.

"Ataru!" they flip.

"Shien!" they slash.

"Niman!" they combine the previous five.

"Vapaad!" they parry furiously.

Nabi touches the glass, recognizing all of those words. The warriors whip their lightsabers like no Jedi she's seen before. They all seem to possess a ferocity rather than serenity. They appear vengeful rather than peaceful.


	10. Lotho Minor - A Way Out

**32.** **GUARDIAN ANGEL**

The scavengers salvage anything left from the charred insides of the crashed cruiser. Dengar looks around at the disaster.

"All the rum's gone…," he picks up a burnt piece of a barrel.

"And the spice…," Owen mutters.

Anakin drags his hands through the ashes of his starfighter. He looks down; his blue eyes are completely dry and swollen red. Owen puts a hand on his shoulder and sighs.

"I guess… it wasn't meant to be. I knew since the crash that it was… impossible."

Anakin silently stares at the ashes for a long moment, digesting Owen's words. Then, he aggressively shakes Owen's hand from his shoulder and walks off. Owen looks at him strangely. Anakin marches outside through the trash. He angrily starts digging through a scrap pile.

"What are you tryin' to find, Anakin?" Dengar hesitantly approaches him.

"Parts for another ship!" the black-beard bluntly answers, violently tossing away scraps.

"Come on, mate. You might as well give it a day's rest. You don't need to-

Dengar eyes some debris rolling down the pile.

"Look out!" he shouts.

He runs out of the way. However Anakin, consumed by his anger, completely ignores him.

"Anakin! Move!" Owen panics from the distance.

This time, the black-beard looks up, and a gigantic, metal wall flattens him.

"ANAKIN!" Dengar rushes to his aid.

"Anakin?!" Owen rushes to the wall too. "Anakin! ANAKIN!"

Everyone nearby rushes towards the wall. They all try lifting it off the ground.

"Come on… come on… lift! Lift, mates!" Dengar's face turns red.

"KID! CAN YOUR HEAR ME?!" Owen shouts at the wall.

No response. All of them start to wear out from trying to lift the hefty piece of debris.

"It's too heavy. We can't lift this," someone says.

"Come on! Don't give up! Push! Push, mates! Puuush!" Dengar still tries to lift.

All of them try to lift one more time, but nothing budges one bit.

"Anakin! ANAKIN!" Owen whimpers; his eyes starting to tear up.

The truth starts to settle in. Anakin is no longer with them. Everyone collapses and coughs from exhaustion. Except Dengar, who's willing to try until the days of his life end.

"Come on! Get up, mates!" Dengar's voice cracks. "Get up!"

The slightest pebble on the wall starts to shake. Then, the rest of the rocks on top shake as well. Dengar feels the wall lifting above his arms. His eyes widen.

"I'm doing it! I'm doing it, lads!" he laughs.

Everyone else looks up and gawks at the wall slowly levitating above Dengar. The red-beard dumbfoundedly looks up too.

"I'm not doing that," he realizes.

All of them watch the wall float away like a cloud. Far off in the distance, a silhouette of a woman stands with her arm extended. Her hazel eyes harden as her white hand slowly motions the wall away. All of the scavengers notice her and then look back at the wall, wondering if she's really doing this. The wall gently touches the ground. Then, Nabi lets out a sigh of relief. And, Anakin lets out some coughs of life. All of the scavengers turn towards him and cheer.

"Anakin! Anakin!" they gather around him.

The dust-covered black-beard sits up, coughing. As everyone pats him on the back, Anakin looks at his guardian angel standing at the horizon. She smiles apologetically. He is starstruck.

* * *

**33.** **I'M SORRY**

Everyone gossips about the accident. Meanwhile, the man who was trapped underneath the rubble sits on his own. He drinks a soup Sugi remedied for him.

"Are you alright?" she massages his shoulder.

"Yeah…," the black-beard mumbles.

The chatter suddenly dies off once Nabi steps into the midst. They all look at her, afraid. Nabi looks at them too, afraid that they will not accept her back in. Anakin looks up at her, and they both make eye contact. Nabi gulps, remembering what she did to him; what she did to all of them. She waits for someone to maim her with insults, but everyone remains silent.

"I'm…," Nabi trembles, "I'm sorry."

Her hazel eyes twinkle.

"I'm sorry for _everything_ I did to you."

A tear drips down her face.

"I know what I did, and I was just… too stuck-up to realize it."

She sniffles and wipes her eyes.

"I don't expect you to forgive. In fact, I don't want you to. I… totally deserve this."

She looks down as Anakin looks up at her, feeling a sense of guilt for how he's treated her. Nabi drops a hologram device from her hand. A projection lights up once it smacks the floor. A blue-lit static building hovers in the air before them. All of the scavengers lean forward.

"What is that?" someone whispers.

Nabi looks up at the projection.

"Last night…," she starts to explain, "I found… a hangar bay."

Everyone leans closer, gossiping amongst each other.

"A hangar bay, that is? Did you say a hangar bay?" Dengar asks her.

"Yes," she confirms. "A fully operational hangar bay."

The scavengers gasp, and the gossip picks up.

"You mean with people in it?" Dengar asks.

"Yes," she nods, "with people. It was a whole facility filled with hundreds, if not, thousands of people."

Everyone grows excited, looking at each other with an expression they've not shown in three years: a smile.

"Where is it?! How do we get there?!" Dengar asks.

"Oh, please!" Owen steps forth. "You actually believe her?! After everything she did to us!?"

"I believe her," a man says.

Owen looks at Anakin.

"What?" Lars whispers under his breath.

The tall, black-bearded man stares at Owen for a long moment, then he looks at Nabi and stands.

"Show us the hangar bay," he says.

Nabi stares at him in shock, expecting Anakin to be the last one to believe in her.

* * *

**34.** **WHAT IF WE DON'T TAKE A CHANCE?**

A group of scavengers follow Nabi to the mysterious hangar bay.

"There it is," she points.

They take cover behind the trash, looking down at the large facility where ships fly in and out.

"Oh my! We have a way out, mates! We have a way out!" Dengar cheers.

"Shut up! You're gonna blow our cover!" Owen whispers.

Nabi smiles at Dengar's excitement. Anakin studies the ships carefully.

"Who's flying them?" he asks Nabi.

She looks at him, and her smile fades away.

"When I snuck in, I ran into people wearing black armor. And they wielded lightsabers."

"Lightsabers?!" Owen asks.

"You mean like a Jedi?" Dengar leans closer.

"Yeah… they were like Jedi," Nabi raises her eyebrows. "They even trained in their dueling techniques. But, I know… I know for sure those people weren't Jedi. I tried disguising myself as one of them, but they all… looked the same."

A look of concern crosses Anakin's face, bringing him back to a moment he'll never forget.

"Well," Dengar starts, "...who else would use lightsabers if not Jedi?"

"What color were their blades?" Anakin interjects.

Nabi looks at him as if they shared a similarity.

"Red," she answers.

Anakin looks down and scratches his beard.

"What is it, kid?" Owen notices Anakin contemplating something.

"You all remember the woman that took the ship down," Anakin looks at the scavengers.

The scavengers shudder at the memory that brought them to this planet.

"Well, what color was her lightsaber?" Anakin asks, waiting for them to get it now.

Dengar's eyes widen at the realization while Owen's eyes twitch. Nabi looks at all of them.

"Wait. What do you mean?" she asks. "Who are you talking about?"

The scavengers look at each other speechlessly, losing hope altogether. Owen shakes his head. He starts to walk away. Everyone else follows, except for Nabi and Anakin.

"What? Is that it, then?" Anakin looks at all of them. "You're just going to walk away when our only escape is within reach?"

Owen turns around and gapes at Anakin, appalled by his stance.

"Kid! If that place is filled with the same types of people as that witch who crashed us… Look, we wouldn't stand a chance if we went in there."

"And what will happen if we don't take a chance?!" Anakin stands before all of them.

The black-beard's voice quivers, "I have been stuck here for three long years, and I am damn sick of it! I'm sure you all feel the same. Look, we've lost everything! Our homes, our friends, our families, our lives. All we have is something to gain, and it's right there in front of us! Trust me. I wish we could just waltz on outta here and call it a day. But, we can't! We can't! Okay?! We're stuck here unless we man up and take a risk! Life isn't a given. It never has been."

He looks back at the hangar bay.

"So, if I have to risk my life, facing an army of warriors to reach my goal, then so be it. I've already died inside anyways."

Everyone else looks at him, relating his words to the entire spectrum of their own lives. Then slowly, one by one, they start to walk towards him. Everyone rallies behind Anakin, ready to risk their lives with him. Only Owen Lars remains distant, and everyone turns to look at him.

"Ah! I hate peer pressure…," he mutters, joining the group.

Anakin smirks. Nabi looks at him and smirks as well.

* * *

**35.** **BATTLE PLAN**

All of them gear up and prepare for battle. Anakin holds a debriefing for their plan.

"We need a ship that's best for transporting large groups of people and combating other fighters. I think this shuttle is our best bet," Anakin points at the ship on the hologram.

"It has two guns on each side, and it can hold fifty or more people."

"Okay…, how are we getting it?" Dengar asks.

"I was thinking about leading a convoy of STAPs towards the hangar bay."

Anakin leads a group of STAP pilots across the badlands in a practice run.

"You're using the STAPs against their fighters?!" Owen asks. "One hit from them could knock us out of the sky!"

"You may be right," Anakin considers. "But, that one hit is going to be a really, difficult one to get. We're like a Womprat compared to them. We can take out as many of the other ships in the bay, but leave the shuttles alone. I think there's only two in this hangar. For any ships already in the air, it would be too much of a risk to take them head on. So, we can lead them away and shake 'em off between the mountains."

Scavengers set up cable wires between the trash mountains.

"I could probably take out a few with my rocket," Dengar suggests.

"Good idea," Anakin says.

"Now, what about these lightsaber people? How are we gonna take them out?" Owen questions.

"That's where the rest of us come in," Anakin answers. "If you're not going to pilot a STAP, then you're going to learn how to shoot a blaster."

Dengar trains many of the scavengers how to hold and aim a blaster properly.

"We'll mount our three heavy blasters about two-hundred meters from the hangar bay and place snipers behind the guns," Anakin says.

Snipers scour around the trash mounds for the best position to take.

"There's a risk of running out of ammo. Without any generators, our guns have a limited amount of shots," Dengar explains.

"Then, make every shot count," the black-beard says.

"What if there's too many of them?" Owen asks. "They could overflow and outnumber us! You did say there were thousands in there, right?!"

He looks at Nabi. She nods.

"And there's only fifty-four of us!" Owen points out.

"Don't worry about numbers. I've already got a plan that'll wipe out hundreds of 'em in just a few seconds," Anakin slightly smirks.

"After I've shaken off any fighters on my tail, I'll go hijack a shuttle and land it here," Anakin points at an open spot kiddy-corner to the facility.

"Once I've given you the all clear, rush back to the rendezvous, so we can high-tail it out of here."

During their practice run, Anakin and the other STAP pilots zip under the cable wires between the trash mounds. The scavengers shooting blasters start to actually hit their practice targets in the head. Nabi swings her lightsaber in the air, practicing her dueling techniques.

Anakin looks at her closely while he repairs his STAP. Nabi turns to look at him, and he looks away as soon as possible. Nabi looks at him closely, wondering if he was actually staring at her. Then, she smiles ever so slightly. Later on, the Jedi Padawan walks throughout their camp, feeling the anxiety and lust for freedom in the air. Scavengers tweak their blasters, familiarizing themselves with the weapon.

"Can you believe we're gettin' out of here?" Dengar smiles at Nabi.

She catches his excitement too and smiles.

"We're gettin' out of here!" he cheers with the other scavengers.

* * *

**36.** **A PRACTICE RUN**

Anakin and R2 repair the final touches to his STAP before flying it into battle tomorrow.

"Well, this is it R2," Anakin looks at his STAP for a long while. "Tomorrow will be the last time I'll fly her…, and then we'll be getting ourselves a new ride."

R2 light-heartedly chirps with a tone that epitomizes freedom.

"Are you sure that'll be the last time?" a woman approaches behind them.

Anakin looks over, quite surprised to see Nabi. She stops a few feet away from him. They both awkwardly stare at each other silently. R2 turns his dome back and forth, looking at the two adults. Then the droid breaks the silence, bleeping how ridiculous they both look. He rolls away, leaving Anakin and Nabi to laugh at their own awkwardness. Anakin takes a deep breath.

"So…, are you… ready to fight tomorrow?" he asks uncomfortably.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," Nabi nods, trying to beat down the butterflies in her stomach.

They both look away from each other and start to regress into their awkward silence again. But then, Nabi progresses the conversation.

"So…, are you… ready to fly that… Single Trooper Aerial Platform tomorrow?"

Anakin looks up at her and smiles, astonished that she's remembered the classification.

"Yeah, I'm ready to give her one last run," Anakin looks at his STAP.

Nabi twists her toe against the ground.

"Are you… sure you're not going to fly her out tonight?" she asks him.

"Well…," he turns and looks at the sun setting, "...now that you mention it, maybe I will fly her… for a practice run. Do you wanna come along with?"

She looks at him, taken aback by his offer. He starts up the STAP's engines and steps on board.

"I have room… for _two_ people," he holds out his hand with a suave grin.

Nabi smiles once again; her cheeks start glowing a shade of red. She walks up to Anakin and takes his hand, stepping aboard right behind him. She wraps her arms around his stomach as he revs up the engines. But, he doesn't take off.

"On second thought…," he hops off the STAP. "I'm not going to fly her tonight."

He looks up at her as she looks back at him, confused. She grasps a tight hold onto the STAP's handlebars.

"You are," Anakin smiles and steps aboard right behind her.

"What?" Nabi exclaims. "Wait! I-I don't how how to fly this thing!"

"You do," Anakin smirks. "Remember? _I_ taught you."

Nabi scoffs, feeling the heat on her cheeks. She looks away and shakes her head, chuckling. She knows what he's doing, and there's no way of getting out of it. So, she decides to play along.

"Alright…, but you're gonna regret this, grumps."

"What did you just call- AH!"

Their STAP zips away, leaving the trail of his voice behind. Nabi weaves around the trash mountains, nearly scraping past them. Anakin braces onto her abdomen tight and ducks when a stone arch nearly knocks his head off.

"Okay! Maybe you should slow down!" he tells her.

He struggles to point at the left lever as the wind gusts against his face.

"That left lever! Pull it!" he yells.

"What?!" Nabi doesn't appear to hear him.

"Left! Lever!"

"What?! Did you say RIGHT lever?!" she smiles.

"No! LEFT!" he yells.

"Okay! Right it is!"

Nabi smacks the right lever forward, and they blast off at full speed.

"OH MY-

Anakin nearly falls off the STAP, hanging onto Nabi for dear life.

"I've made a terrible mistake," he mutters to himself.

"Woohoo!" Nabi cheers, and the widest smile wrinkles her entire face.

They both fly off into the sunset with no worry of what could happen to them the next day.

 

 


	11. Remnants of a Lost Past

**37.** **YOU DON'T REALIZE UNTIL YOU LOSE IT**

At nightfall everyone sits beside a campfire, anxious that they'll finally escape the planet. Anakin looks up at the stars, biting down on a slightly rotten apple. Meanwhile, Nabi sits across from him; her stomach growling. She notices a cricket chirping beside her. She stares at it for a long while, then snatches it and nearly puts the insect in her mouth before Anakin stops her.

"No, no, no," Anakin hands her an orange. "Here."

She looks at his hand, and her stomach grumbles.

"Take it. You shouldn't be eating stuff like that," Anakin says.

Nabi slowly sets the cricket free and timidly takes the orange from his hand. Anakin returns to eating his apple as Nabi peels the orange.

"Thank you," she whispers with a smile.

"You're welcome," he whispers, smirking back.

Nabi takes her first bite into the orange and chews slowly, savoring every piece of it.

"Is it good?" Anakin asks her.

"Hmm… yes. It's very good," she replies.

He chuckles, and she laughs.

"I've never felt so happy eating an orange before," she says.

Anakin chuckles under his breath.

"Yeah…," he looks into the fire. "You don't realize what you had until you lose it… until you lose all of it."

His lost eyes look down at a golden locket. Nabi catches sight of its golden glint.

"What is that?" she stops chewing, looking down at the locket closely.

"What? Oh, this? This is a Jedi locket," he feels the lightsaber symbol on the locket. "Well, you should know what this is. You're a Jedi yourself."

"Yeah, but I'm not a Knight. I've only seen Jedi Knights wear those. Where did you find it?" the Padawan wonders.

Anakin silently stares at the locket without a response. Nabi observes how his eyes focus on the lightsaber symbol as if it meant something to him before.

"So, how are the Jedi these days?" Anakin breaks the silence. "Are they still the same group of tired monks prosthelytizing about some prophecy of the Chosen One? Oh… and did anyone happen to beat my record in the annual tournament yet?"

Nabi's eyes widen.

"You're… you're him," she looks at his face. "You're Anakin! Anakin Skywalker! Shmi Skywalker's son! I can't believe I didn't think of this before!"

"How do you know my mom?" Anakin looks at her.

"I took care of her!" Nabi smiles. "She let me stay at her apartment since you left! She said you ran away and left the Jedi Order! I actually thought you were dead when she told me about you. She's sent the police to look for you, the Jedi to look for you. She even travelled to two-hundred different systems looking for you! Every day before work, she holds up an image of you, and I have to keep on telling her it's time to go..."

Nabi rambles on, but her words fall on deaf ears as Anakin stares off into space, picturing his mother's face. He sheds a single tear.

* * *

**38.** **SACRIFICE TO KEEP A SECRET**

Obi-Wan stares up at the ceiling. He relaxes his breathing as blood slowly drips off his severely scarred ray-shielded body. His cell door suddenly slides open. Darth Venger returns and tosses a bagged prisoner in front of him. Kenobi slowly leans his head closer, his eyes widening. Venger rips the bag from Satine Kryze's head and kicks her body towards the Jedi Master.

Kenobi's heart drops as he looks down at the bruises and blood on Satine's skin. Her elegant, sky-blue gown has been replaced with wretched rags. Her sparkling high heels have been replaced by dirty, bare feet. And, her makeup has been replaced by a black eye and a gagged mouth.

Satine's head slowly rises, and her bloodshot eyes look deep into Kenobi's. A tear drips from her healthy eye. The Sith Lord grabs the Chancellor's blonde hair and yanks it back. Satine cries out, but her pains are muffled by the gag. The Twi'lek unties the gag, allowing her screams to rein free.

"Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan! You're here!" Satine pants. "They've been holding me captive for so long! I think they're preparing to-

Venger tackles her before she can finish, looking into Kenobi's eyes as she smothers Satine. The Jedi Master scowls at Venger and can't help, but release the rage from his eyes.

"Whatever you do, you will _never_ learn where the kyber crystal is," he grits his teeth.

By that response, the Sith Lord ignites her lightsaber and hovers it over Satine's neck.

"That's a shame…," Venger begins, "...sacrificing the lives of others in order to keep a secret. And, the Jedi call themselves 'heroes.'"

"Wait! Kyber crystal?!" Satine speaks. "Did you say kyber crystal?!"

She turns to the Twi'lek. Obi-Wan hangs his head, realizing he made a crucial mistake.

"I know where it is," Satine confesses. "I know where the kyber crystal is! If that's why you're holding us captive, then I'll tell you everything!"

"No, Satine! Don't say anything!" Obi-Wan pleads.

"What?" Kryze looks at him.

Darth Venger pushes her hand forward, and Kenobi's head snaps back. Then, it hangs down.

"Obi-Wan?! Obi-Wan?!" Satine screams.

Venger smacks her across the face and ties the gag around her mouth again. The Sith Lord drags Satine's body away with her. Satine reaches out to Obi-Wan as the door to his cell shuts.

* * *

**39.** **FAITH**

Inside a dim and small, light brown room a young boy's hand quivers in front of him. Beneath his shaky hand, a tiny grey rock sits still on the ground. The rock looks at him like his toughest critic. It remains motionless and unwavered by his shallow attempts. The brunette boy drops his hand and groans. The rock sits still in victory.

"I can't do it," the boy whimpers. "I just can't do it."

"Yes, you can, Anakin."

A brunette woman places her hands on the boy's shoulders.

"I believe you can do it, Ani. And you should believe that too," Shmi Skywalker encourages her son.

"But mom," the boy looks at her. "I'm so young. The only reason why the other Jedi can do this is because they're so much older than me."

"No. That's not true. Age isn't a factor, Ani. Only in your mind."

Shmi tugs on her son's soft chin. He smiles, and Shmi chuckles.

"Remember Anakin, be your own hero. Follow your passions. Tune out life's noise, so you can hear your own voice… your own truth. Don't let anybody else dictate your future for you. This is your life, and it's your destiny you have to fulfill."

Shmi steps back once again, leaving her son to stand on his own. With her words echoing in his mind, Anakin lifts his hand again and closes his eyes. The grey rock jiggles a bit. Then it lifts from the ground and slowly rises into the air. Shmi's jaw drops as she looks up at the levitating rock in awe. The boy opens his eyes, finally noticing the rock hovering in the air.

"Anakin, you did it!" Shmi cries.

Tears wash down her face.

"Oh, my boy!" she hugs him and kisses his cheeks. "My boy! I love you… I love you so much!"

"I did it," Anakin cheers. "I did it!"

"I did it," a sleeping black-bearded man whispers. "I did it."

A tear trickles down his face. Anakin gasps and wakes up. He looks around at the trashed landscape around him. He feels the tear flowing down his cheek. After a while, Anakin gets up and walks around, not feeling the need to sleep anymore.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Can I see that again?"

Anakin hears some soft chatter in the distance. He slowly approaches a group sitting around a campfire. They are mesmerised by the lightsaber hilt majestically twirling in the air before them. It almost touches Dengar's awestruck eyes.

"How are you doing that?" he asks Nabi.

"Faith," she whispers.

Anakin watches from a distance, also mesmerized by Nabi's faith. Then, Anakin walks away into a garbage pit. His eyes look around, landing on a brick. He stares at the brick for a long while. Then, he closes his eyes and holds out his hand. His hand starts to shake. His face tenses up. His fingers reach out for the brick, trying to feel it. He tunes out life's noise, hearing his own truth that lies before him. When he opens his eyes, the truth hurts. The brick is still there; it hadn't moved one bit. Anakin sighs and looks at his hand, realizing he isn't the boy he once was.

 

 


	12. Battle of Lotho Minor - Escape Shuttle

**40.** **THIS IS WHERE THE FUN BEGINS**

The morning sun rises, and the scavengers meet around the holographic layout of the hangar bay. Skywalker leads the rundown.

"So, does everyone know what they're doing?" he asks.

"Sir?" a young woman raises her hand.

"Yes, Aster?" he looks at her.

"Are we supposed to lure the droids when you get there, or-

"Start leading them to the building as soon as you find them."

"But, aren't we supposed to use them for backup?"

"We're probably not going to be able to stop them once they reach the facility anyways. Just lead them there no matter what. But, make sure they don't hit the hangar bay! Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, does anybody else have anymore questions?" Anakin looks around at the fifty-three faces that have survived.

Nabi raises her hand.

"Where will we be going after the battle is won?"

Anakin looks at her and says, "Home."

Dengar's troop arrives two-hundred meters in front of the hangar bay. They take cover behind scrap piles and draw their blasters, aiming for the hangar ahead.

"Are we set?" Dengar looks at the third heavy blaster put in place.

The man who set it up nods. Dengar nods back.

"Now we wait," he looks ahead at the hangar.

The whir of engines catch their ears. Everyone looks up at the fleet of STAPs flying above. Anakin zips over their heads, along with six other pilots, heading straight for the hangar. Skywalker raises his hand in the air, and he shoots the first bolts into the hangar bay. A few engineers in the bay flip over from the blast, and soldiers immediately ignite their red lightsabers. They look at the STAP pilots in awe. The other six STAPs shoot the other ships surrounding the two shuttles. Their bolts sizzle holes into the other fighters, but it's not enough power to obliviate them. The STAPs fly above the hangar and weave around for another run.

"This is where the fun begins!" Anakin smirks.

Inside the hangar the identical soldiers scatter around in disarray.

"Sound the alarm! We're under attack!" a soldier yells.

Two-hundred meters away Dengar raises his hand.

"Snipers…," he looks up at them.

"Open fire!" he drops his arm.

The ten snipers crouched atop the trash mounds shoot. A few bolts hit their targets, but none deliver a fatal blow.

"Cease fire! He's headed for another run!" Dengar commands.

Skywalker and the other six pilots fly in formation again, heading towards the hangar. Anakin holds his hand in the air. Then, an A-Wing blasts out of the hangar, shooting at them.

"Bank left! Bank left!" Anakin shouts.

Most of the STAP pilots zip out of the way. But, one smashes into the oncoming A-Wing. Skywalker looks behind at their first fatality. Then, he looks at the grey A-Wing weaving around to attack them again.

"Scatter! Move towards the mountains!" Skywalker commands the pilots.

They split up, dodging the A-Wing's hailfire. Three black six-winged Hex-Wing fighters disembark from the hangar bay and move forth to attack the little STAPs.

* * *

**41.** **WIPE THEM OUT**

Darth Venger marches inside her facility. Suddenly, her comlink beeps, blinking green.

"Yes, admiral?"

"My Lord! Sector Four is under attack! We're facing several aerial vehicles, and a small battalion in the distance!"

"Is it the Jedi?!" Venger leans closer to her comlink.

"No!" the admiral answers. "They don't appear to be Jedi. They don't have lightsabers!"

"How many of them are there?!"

"Um… there appears to be… about fifty foot soldiers and six airborne!"

The Sith Lord raises an eyebrow, quite surprised by the miniature force.

"Wipe them out and bring me their leader _alive_ ," she orders.

"Yes, sir."

The Sith Lord looks forward, gripping her saber hilt tightly.

Back on the ground Dengar notices wild, chaotic movement in the hangar bay.

"Here they come!" his eyes grow wide.

An army of identical soldiers charge at them with red lightsabers. The scavengers focus their aim and feel their triggers.

"Hold!" Dengar raises his hand.

The scavengers feel the earth-shaking rumbles from the soldiers' charge. Their battle cries pierce the polluted air. And, their red lightsabers yearn for blood.

"Steady…," the red-beard keeps his hand up. "Steady…"

Once the first row of soldiers rush out of the bay, Dengar yells.

"OPEN FIRE!"

A unified volley of blaster bolts shoot through the air and knock down the oncoming soldiers. Some of the soldiers try deflecting the shots, but the blaster bolts overwhelm them. The three heavy blaster gunners shake vigorously as they shoot. Multiple lasers cycle out of the weapon every half-second.

Meanwhile, an A-Wing chases Owen and two other STAPs between the trash mountains. One of the A-Wing's blasts hits a pilot, knocking his body out of the sky. Owen and the other pilot dodge the blasts. The A-Wing shoots again, hitting the other pilot's STAP; it spirals down, crashing into the scrap heaps below. Now, the A-Wing only has one target in front of it, and Owen knows very well who it is.

The red blaster bolts whiz past Owen's body. He looks back, making sure the ship's still on his tail. Then, he ducks and the A-Wing hits a cable wire, spinning out of control. It crashes, tumbles on the ground, and explodes.

In another area a Hex-Wing almost blasts Anakin out of the sky. Anakin dodges each of its six blasts. He weaves around the trash mountains, and the Hex-Wing weaves around them as well, tailing very close to him.

"Where are those cables?!" Anakin realizes he's lost in the maze.

Skywalker continues to dodge the relentless laser blasts shooting at him. The massive bolts smash into a large trash mountain. Anakin heads straight for the mountain and banks a sharp right at the last second. The Hex-Wing banks right as well. Anakin looks behind, frustrated.

Laser bolts fly past his face, and then a large sofa almost hits him from above. Skywalker ducks and looks up at the avalanche of garbage rolling off the top of the mountain. The debris from the avalanche smashes into the Hex-Wing as well.

Suddenly, the entire trash mountain starts to cave in and collapse on top of them. Skywalker tilts his STAP at a complete horizontal angle. He zips straight for the narrow gap collapsing a hundred yards away. The Hex-Wing disengages its s-foils from attack position, morphing the six wings into two. The Hex-Wing's targeting computer locks onto Anakin. It starts to shoot, but the entire mountain collapses on top of it while Anakin zips away.

"WOO!" he celebrates.

* * *

**42.** **JEDI MIND TRICK**

Obi-Wan hears the emergency alarms howling outside his prison cell. He looks over at two identical guards guarding the cell door.

"What's happening out there?!" one guard refers to the alarms.

"I don't know. It's probably a drill," the other shrugs.

"Well, if it is, shouldn't we be out there too?"

"No…," the other guard supposes. "Lord Venger ordered us to stay here and watch over the Jedi."

"Okay…, he's trapped in a ray shield though. There's no way he's getting out. Come on. Let's go see what's happening."

"I'm not going anywhere. We would be disobeying an order."

"And what if you're wrong? What if we have to be out there right now?! I don't want to get in trouble."

The curious guard leaves.

"CT-5271, where are you going?! You cannot abandon your post!"

The cell door opens and closes, leaving the obedient guard in the room.

"This is unbelievable," the guard mutters.

"You want to know what else is unbelievable?" Obi-Wan asks him. "I can make _you_ do whatever I want whenever I say so."

"Is that right?" the guard steps towards him. "And why would I listen to you, Jedi scum?"

"Because you're weak minded," Kenobi responds. "Unlike your partner, who's willing to act and think on his own, you remain loyal and subservient. You'd take orders from anybody even if they were a fool."

"I take orders from the most intelligent leaders," the guard looks up at the Jedi.

"And, that is why you will shut off this shield and leave this cell with the door open."

The guard's head leans back, and his face turns static. He stares straight forward, without blinking, as if he's under a spell. Then he says.

"I will shut off this shield and leave this cell with the door open."

The guard turns around and walks towards a control panel. The Jedi Master smirks. The guard presses a button on the panel, and Kenobi's tortured body drops onto the floor. The Jedi pants heavily, trying to regain his physical strength. He looks up and realizes the guard has opened the door and is almost out of sight.

"Oh! And if you wouldn't mind, I'd like your lightsaber...," Kenobi waves his hand.

The guard halts and turns around.

"I do not mind. Here is my lightsaber," he throws it to the Jedi Master.

Obi-Wan steps out of the cell and sneaks away while the rest of the facility is preoccupied by the battle. The Jedi looks at the identical soldiers. He recognizes some of their faces for he's seen them at the Jedi Temple before. The Jedi Master moves forth, heading opposite from the action.

* * *

**43.** **NOT TOO FAST**

Scavengers continue shooting down soldiers charging out of the hangar bay. Some soldiers nearly break through the scavengers' small, but stiff defenses.

"Don't let any get pass!" Dengar yells.

The red-beard rips through the soldiers with his rapid firing DLT-19 heavy rifle. Nabi pushes soldiers back with the Force. Even R2 blasts soldiers with his own pistols. Anakin and Owen soar over the battlefield, picking off soldiers with their STAPs. But, their main focus are the two shuttles still sitting in the hangar bay.

"I'm heading in!" Anakin tells Owen.

"Don't kill yourself!" Owen replies.

Skywalker ducks into the hangar and hops atop one of the shuttles. His unmanned STAP twirls into the soldiers below and explodes. Anakin looks down at the landing ramp leading into the doorway of the shuttle. Dozens of soldiers surround the ramp, blocking his only way inside. He looks at the hangar's blast doors where endless waves of soldiers rush out of the facility.

"There's too many!" a scavenger notices the hundreds of soldiers rushing towards them.

"Keep shootin'!" Dengar shouts back.

Northwest of the battle three scavengers shoot at four metallic, colossal legs stomping towards the facility.

"BREAK!" Aster shouts.

The three scavengers rush out of the legs' way.

Darth Venger marches on a walkway, looking around at the chaotic facility.

"Admiral, status report!" she barks at her comlink.

Her dying soldiers cry out to her through the reception.

"Admiral?!" the Twi'lek raises her lekkus.

"Yes, my lord! They'll soon be eliminated!"

"I expected this to be over already!"

"It will! We are-

The wall across from Venger explodes. She falls back on the floor as the whole facility shakes like an earthquake. A shrill chorus of her troops scream around her. Venger sits up, gawking at the gargantuan hole where the wall once was. The walkway she's on is partially incinerated. The side she's on is intact while the other is completely rubble. She peeks over the edge and bears witness to hundreds of her troops falling into the jaws of the fire-breathing incinerator droids.

The scavengers on the battlefield cheer as the fire-breathers bust through the walls of the facility. The soldiers in the hangar bay turn around, hearing the massive explosions inside the main facility. They head back inside while Anakin rushes inside the shuttle.

Dengar hauls a rocket launcher, shooting a missile at a Hex-Wing in the sky. The ship explodes and crashes on top of the identical troops below. One of their heavy blasters stops shooting.

"I'm out of ammo!" the gunner checks.

"Okay…, move up and take position!" Dengar points.

Meanwhile, Anakin flips switches and presses buttons inside the cockpit of the shuttle. The engines light up.

"Yes!" he exclaims.

The shuttle lifts up from the floor and slowly ascends out of the hangar. All of the scavengers spot the ship and cheer.

"Let's head to the rendezvous!" Dengar smiles.

The scavengers celebrate and retreat from the battle, eager to finally leave the planet.

Anakin cries tears of joy, "We made it! We finally made it…"

A turret slides out from under the hangar's ceiling and shoots lasers at the shuttle's engines. The engines explode, and the ship dips down.

"NO!" Anakin shouts. "NO! NO! WHAT THE HELL?!"

The scavengers look back and watch the shuttle crash right into the ground. Nabi is as frozen as everyone else, but she's the first to move towards the crashed shuttle. She ignites her lightsaber, dueling every soldier in her way. Dengar notices her bravery and follows.

"MOVE BACK! MOVE BACK!" he charges forward. "WE HAVE TO HELP ANAKIN!"

* * *

**44.** **TO THE RENDEZVOUS**

Inside the wreckage of the shuttle Anakin tries punching through the windows above him.

"Come on!…," his frustration takes over. "Come on!"

Anakin searches around for a solid object. He finds a fire extinguisher and smashes it against the ship's windows, eventually breaking through and climbing on top of the ship. He notices the scavengers struggling to fight their way towards him.

"OVER HERE! I'M OVER HERE!" he waves.

Then Owen's STAP zooms past him, battling the turret inside the hangar.

"Owen?! OWEN!" Anakin waves, realizing his friend is preoccupied.

The hangar turret reins a relentless attack on Owen. He blasts past them, responding with a relentless volley of his own bolts. He yells as he zips towards the turret at full-speed. The turret's lasers zip past his face. Then his bolts slam into the turret, blowing it up.

Meanwhile, the lightsaber-wielding soldiers start climbing on top of the crashed shuttle. Anakin panics. He looks around at the red blades thirsty for his blood. A STAP soars above him.

"Kid!" Owen looks down at him.

Anakin looks up and raises his arm. Owen dips low and hauls Anakin aboard his STAP. Anakin grabs a hold of Owen's stomach, looking at the soldiers who've now climbed atop the shuttle.

"Thanks," Anakin looks at Owen.

"I told you not to kill yourself!" Owen responds.

"I wasn't trying to!"

Owen heads towards the hangar bay once again.

"Ready to go for the other one?!" Owen asks, indicating the last shuttle.

"Yeah…," Anakin eyes the shuttle with determination.

On the ground the rest of the scavengers struggle to fight their way across the battlefield. Dengar notices Skywalker and Lars on the STAP.

"They're headed towards the hangar bay! We've got to provide cover!" he shouts.

The red-beard rushes towards a group of soldiers and strikes them down as fast as a hurricane. Nabi parries and blocks the soldiers' blades with her own. One STAP pilot descends from the sky, out of fuel. He leaps off and Wilhelm Screams, falling on top of the red lightsabers. Owen and Anakin zip into the hangar bay.

"Okay! Ready…?" Owen asks, descending towards the shuttle.

Anakin reaches out for the shuttle with one hand, holding onto Owen with the other.

"YEAH!" Anakin shouts.

Then, a red lightsaber swipes through the bottom tip of the STAP. Anakin falls off and smashes shoulder first into the shuttle. Owen crashes his STAP onto the floor of the hangar. He rolls a few feet as a group of soldiers rush to stab him. Lars desperately hurls a thermal detonator at them and jumps away from the explosion. Meanwhile, Anakin looks up at a young woman standing before him, holding a red lightsaber above her head. She swings it down towards his body.

Suddenly, a blue lightsaber ignites through her chest. The woman gasps as Nabi throws her aside. Nabi and Anakin look at each other for a brief intimate moment. Then another woman swings her saber at Nabi. Nabi blocks her attack as Anakin rushes inside the shuttle.

All of the scavengers fight inside the hangar bay, driving the enemy forces back into the facility. The engines of the shuttle suddenly light up. It slowly ascends out of the hangar and takes off into the sky. The remaining scavengers look up, too exhausted to cheer.

"Head to the rendezvous!" Dengar's voice cracks.

Owen is the first to leave and rush after the shuttle. Nabi looks up at the shuttle and smiles. Then, she hears another red lightsaber moving behind her. The Jedi Padawan turns around and locks blades with her attacker. She nearly loses her grip upon seeing it's her master's face.

 

 


	13. Battle of Lotho Minor - Letting Go

**45.** **HAVE TO GO ALONE**

Anakin reaches the rendezvous point and lands the shuttle onto the ground. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan duels with his apprentice. Nabi backs away with each blow he lands.

"Come on! Come towards me, you coward!" Obi-Wan thrusts his blade at her.

She smacks it away, still backing up to refuse his challenge. The Padawan notices that the man's voice sounds just like Kenobi's. His auburn hair, his bearded face, his blue eyes, and even the slight pimples on his forehead all resemble her master's face. But, his fighting style and attitude do not match the mentor she's known for nearly twenty-five years.

"I'm going to kill you, Jedi!" Obi-Wan exclaims.

Then, he falls over after Dengar shoots his spine. Nabi looks down at her master's crippled body. His mouth mumbles a series of broken syllables and words.

"Exa… cue… ord… sixt… six…"

Then his face falls flat, and his eyes freeze over. Nabi stares at his dead face.

"Come on, Nabi! Let's go! Anakin's at the rendezvous!" Dengar urges.

Nabi starts to head toward the facility. Dengar grabs her arm.

"Nabi! What are you doing?!"

The Jedi Padawan hesitantly turns around and looks at him.

"I have to go inside," her voice quivers.

"What?! Why?! We can go right now!"

"Dengar, you have to go. You have to leave without me," Nabi painfully looks away.

"I have to do this alone," the Jedi closes her eyes.

Then, she runs into the facility.

"What?! Wait!" Dengar reaches out for her.

More soldiers come upon him. He hesitates and rushes back to the rendezvous point.

* * *

**46.** **LIGHT VS. DARKNESS**

Satine Kryze sobs inside a damp and dark cell. The cell door slides open, and a dark silhouette stands behind her.

"Why?! Haven't you done enough to me already?!" Satine cries.

"Perhaps Madam and maybe I should've stopped when I still had the chance," a familiar man's voice responds.

Satine's eyes light up, "Obi-Wan!"

She turns around and embraces him. He leans away, fighting the temptation to hug her back.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I told her everything," Satine pants.

"It's fine, Satine. It's not your fault. Don't be ashamed," Kenobi's words soothe her.

"She knows where the crystal is. She's preparing to launch an invasion to retrieve it."

Obi-Wan gulps, "Okay… we'll deal with that later. Right now, we have to get out of here. The whole facility is under attack."

He grabs her hand, and they sneak away.

Satine raises her eyebrows, "What? By whom?"

"I... don't know, but we must move quickly. They're on the move."

The two stop dead in their tracks. The red Twi'lek Sith Lord stands across from them. Obi-Wan keeps Satine behind him, letting go of her hand. He steps forward.

"You've already lost. It's over," the Jedi Master firmly assures.

"Is that so?" the Sith Lord cocks her head.

"The Light _always_ triumphs over the Dark Side," the Jedi proclaims.

"Is that what your history books tell you?" the Sith ignites her red lightsaber. "History will not repeat itself. We have learned and evolved, and this time we will be victorious!"

Darth Venger approaches them, pointing her blade at Kenobi. Obi-Wan slightly leans back.

"Lead on, Satine. I'll be right behind you," he whispers.

"What?" Satine whispers back.

The Sith Lord raises her saber before them.

"GO SATINE!" Obi-Wan pushes her.

Darth Venger swings her saber down. The Jedi quickly ignites the lightsaber he stole and clashes with Venger's blade. Meanwhile, Satine runs away, searching for an escape. Kenobi leans back as the green sparks sizzle before his face. Venger leans forward, pushing her weight towards him. Obi-Wan force pushes Venger back a few meters and retreats. He hurries after Satine.

"I've found an elevator!" Satine rushes inside it.

"I'm right behind you!" Obi-Wan assures.

Satine holds her arm out, blocking the elevator's door from closing.

"Come on! Hurry!" she urges him.

Darth Venger kips up on her feet. Before Obi-Wan can step foot inside the elevator, his body lurches back towards Venger.

"No!" Satine yelps.

Obi-Wan reaches out for Satine and force pushes her body into the elevator. The elevator closes and leaves without him. Then the Jedi spins around and clashes blades with the Sith Lord once again. They parry and block each other's strikes.

Venger backs Kenobi towards the gap where the elevator sat. She swings for his waist. But, he flips backwards and stabs his lightsaber into the wall. He slides down, following the direction of the elevator. Venger looks down, impressed by Kenobi's tactics. She leaps and stabs her own blade into the wall, sliding down after Obi-Wan.

* * *

**47.** **THE DISPOSAL ROOM**

Nabi rushes past the soldiers around her. She hears a roar and a massive explosion inside the rupturing facility. Her jaw drops at the incinerator droids tearing the place apart from within.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Darth Venger continue to duel inside a smoggy, red-tinted factory room. In the distance Satine watches the duel, then she breathes the air around her.

She immediately coughs and covers her nose, "What is this place?"

She witnesses a container of cloned corpses being filled with a cesspool of lava from a dispenser above. Satine covers her mouth, horrified by all the death surrounding her. Then, a green claw scratches her leg. She turns around and gasps at the sight of a Vulptereen. The crocodile-faced midget snorts at her. Other Vulptereens claw at her rags.

"Hey! Hey! Get off! Get away from me!" Satine tries kicking them away.

But, one of the Vulptereens bites into her bare shin. She falls back into one of the corpse-filled containers. She looks at the dead bodies beneath her and the lava dispenser moving toward her.

"OBI-WAN!" she cries.

The Jedi Master looks back for a quick moment and yells.

"SATI-

Darth Venger's blade swipes across his back. Obi-Wan falls over, dropping his lightsaber. He writhes on the ground. Satine's faint screams call for his name. He looks up at Venger as she raises her saber above him. Time freezes for the Jedi Master. He just stares at death before him.

"I'm sorry, Satine," Obi-Wan whispers with a tear dripping from his eye.

He closes his eyes, and Venger swings her blade down towards him. Suddenly, the Sith Lord flies to the side. She crashes against a wall. Obi-Wan opens his watery eyes, hearing a familiar voice.

"Master… master!" Nabi kneels beside him. "Master, I'm here!"

"Nabi…," he caresses her face, wiping the tear flowing down her cheek.

He realizes she's real.

"Nabi!" he sits up.

"Master!" she hugs him and sobs. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry about everything I've done. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Master."

Venger snarls and stands back up. She stares at Nabi, remembering her from their pursuit on Coruscant. Nabi stares back at her.

"You… you were the one," Nabi realizes she was the kidnapper.

"I should've finished you!" Venger threatens.

"Well, here's your chance honey," Nabi ignites her blue lightsaber.

The Sith furiously re-ignites her blade. Nabi moves in to attack her. Obi-Wan tries interfering, and Venger moves to strike him. But the Padawan blocks her attack, saving Obi-Wan again.

"Go master!" Nabi yells at Kenobi and continues to duel Venger.

Obi-Wan hesitates to leave.

"GO! You can't help me here! You have to help _her_!" Nabi advises him.

Obi-Wan backs away, considering her words. He looks at his student, struggling to hold off the Sith Lord on her own. He knows he should be there assisting her. But, the Jedi Master swallows harshly and realizes his apprentice is right. He leaves to help someone who desperately needs it.

Satine tries to balance her bruised bare feet on top of the corpses, but she keeps falling down. She looks up at the lava dispenser, dumping a bucket-load of magma into the container beside her. The lava drowns the corpses and flows over the sides of the container. As the container swivels away, her container moves beneath the dispenser.

"Oh no! No… no… no," Satine tries to stand.

But she falls down again, looking straight up at the lava dispenser starting to open up.

"NO!" she wails.

The lava spills down. She covers her face, helplessly crying. After a few seconds, nothing happens. Satine looks around. Before her Obi-Wan's hands shake as he struggles to hold up the flow of lava above her head.

"Come on, Satine!" he yells.

Satine tries standing again. Her legs wobble, especially her bloody shin, but that doesn't stop her Mandalorian heart from giving in. Her toes firmly grasp onto the bodies beneath her, then she leaps off the container, landing beside Kenobi. She grasps her shin and collapses to the floor. The Jedi Master lets go of the lava, and it rains down on the corpses below. He hears Satine's agony and bends down to check on her.

"Satine. Satine…," he sees the blood flowing down her shin.

The Jedi Master picks her up and carries her away.

* * *

**48.** **I'LL NEVER LET GO**

Anakin walks around the shuttle, looking at everyone's faces. He walks up to Owen.

"Hey. Where's Nabi?" he quickly asks.

"I don't know, kid. Let's go! What are you waiting for?!"

"Nabi's inside the facility," Dengar informs Anakin.

"What?!" Anakin walks up to him.

"She told me to leave her. She said she needed to do it herself," Dengar looks down.

"Oh no…," Anakin looks back at the facility.

Then, he dashes out of the shuttle.

"Hey! Anakin! ANAKIN!" Owen yells.

Anakin runs towards the facility, leaving all the scavengers for one single person.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan runs towards that same person, who's dueling for her life. He spots an elevator in the distance, then looks back at his apprentice.

Nabi tries blocking all of Darth Venger's strikes, but the Sith Lord is faster and more agile. As Venger relentlessly pushes towards her, an exhaust pipe breaks off the wall and blows fumes into her tattooed face. Venger yells out and clutches her eyes. Nabi backs away, looking at the man responsible for the pipe's movement.

"Come on, Nabi!" Obi-Wan calls from a distance.

Nabi looks at Venger again, who's still tending to her yellow eyes. The Padawan turns around and rushes towards her master. They both dash towards the elevator, hoping to reach it before Venger recovers. Suddenly, an incinerator droid rips through the floor, separating master and apprentice. The whole floor collapses. Both Jedi desperately grab hold of a ledge. Obi-Wan struggles to hang onto both the ledge and Satine. With each rupture from the incinerator droids, Satine slowly slips out of Kenobi's grasp. The Jedi Master looks up at his dangling apprentice.

"STAY THERE, NABI!" he orders.

Satine falls out of Kenobi's hand, and he lets go of the ledge, falling with her. The Jedi catches Satine in mid-air before landing safely on his feet. Obi-Wan looks back up at his apprentice, regretfully so. Nabi tries to leap down, but then another incinerator droid rips through the facility.

The droid's building-sized legs nearly knock Nabi down into its fire-breathing jaws. Obi-Wan runs away, dodging the fire-breather's legs while carrying Satine. The Jedi Master spots a shuttle in the distance. Meanwhile, in a canyon just below Kenobi, Anakin rushes towards the facility. He leaps off a cliff and grabs hold of the facility's sidings. The earth beneath him ruptures like a volcanic eruption.

Anakin struggles to hang on as he looks back down at the ground. He notices how much smaller everything is, and it keeps getting smaller with each passing moment. Anakin looks up at the endless building above him. He notices the clouds descending towards him. Then, he realizes he's actually ascending towards them! The whole facility is rising into the sky, revealing itself as the massive, sphere-shaped core of a Lucrehulk battleship.

The wind smacks into Anakin's eardrums, rendering him deaf for the time-being. He notices a small, brunette woman above. She appears trapped beneath a pile of rubble. Anakin quickly climbs up to her.

"Nabi! Nabi!" he shouts.

Nabi looks down at him.

"Nabi, hold on! I'm coming!" Anakin dangles just below her.

"Alright, I'll pull, and you try to push yourself out! Okay?!" he tells her.

He carefully pulls her arm as she tries pushing against the floor to break free. Another rupture shakes the entire ship and nearly knocks Anakin out of Nabi's hand. He recovers himself and looks back up.

"I got you! I got you!" he hangs onto her tight.

He watches Nabi's mouth move rapidly, but he can't hear a single word. Only the wind pierces his eardrums.

"Nabi, I'm going to get you out of here! I'm going to get you out! Don't worry!"

He's not sure if she can hear him, but she continues to move her mouth. She looks at him with a sorrowful expression, then starts to cry. Her tears drip onto his face.

"Nabi, it's alright! It's alright! I'm not going to leave without you! I'm never going to let go! Now, you push and I'll pull! Okay?! I've got you!"

As soon as he tries to pull her hand, her hand lets go of him.

_(Slow-Motion)_ Anakin's eyes freeze in horror as his body falls down fifty feet. His eyes remain on Nabi as she zooms away until she's nothing more than a tiny, little speck in the sky.

( _Resume to Normal Speed_ ) Anakin's body splashes into a deep pool of mud and rolls down a slope of sewage. His face slowly rises, all covered in black, slimy garbage. He scrambles on his feet again and stumbles after the space station. He stops, looking up at the Lucrehulk core disappearing above the thick clouds. Then, with all of the heartfelt passion in his soul, he yells.

"NAAAAAAAAAAAAAABIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

His eternal scream echoes throughout the land.

* * *

**49.** **LET IT GO**

Obi-Wan rushes inside the shuttle and places Satine on the medical bed.

"Get the medical kit and turn on the surgical droid!" the Jedi orders the scavengers.

Obi-Wan examines the blood continuously flowing out of her wounded shin.

"We need to clamp down the blood flow!" he yells.

Dengar scurries on over, setting a medical case beside them. Obi-Wan opens it up and rips out a huge bandage, adhesive tape, and a tourniquet.

"Here. You place the bandage and tie adhesive tape around it. I've got the tourniquet," he instructs Dengar.

The red-beard nods, hurriedly bandaging the wound on Satine's shin. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan tightens the tourniquet around it.

"Shall I inject a dose of morphine into her system?" the surgical droid asks.

"No! No! Medication is not necessary! I can handle this," Obi-Wan says.

The Jedi Master places one hand on top of Satine's wound and the other on top of her forehead.

"Rest easy, Satine. There's nothing more for you to worry about. Close your eyes… and find… peace."

Her eyelids slowly shut, and she falls asleep. Obi-Wan exhales a long breath of relief.

"Now, you may begin your operation, doctor," Obi-Wan informs the surgical droid.

He walks out of the emergency room as Anakin stomps into the shuttle. Owen is the first to notice him.

"Hey! Where the hell were you?! You're lucky we waited here this entire time!"

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Anakin's voice thunders as he shoves past Owen.

The black-bearded pilot yanks on switches and smashes down buttons until the ship's engines light up. Anakin looks up at the Lucrehulk core with the utmost determination. He takes off towards it. Obi-Wan stumbles back from the shuttle's exit.

"Hey! Wait! There's someone still out there!" he yells at Anakin.

Obi-Wan notices the Lucrehulk core lifting into the atmosphere, realizing he's too late. Owen Lars realizes that Anakin isn't headed for outer space.

"Kid, where the hell are you going?! Fly up and get us out of here!" he spits into Anakin's numb ear.

Anakin ignores him, pushing the ship towards the Lucrehulk core. Multiple starfighters exit the space station and attack the shuttle. Lasers crash against the ship's sidings. But, Anakin doesn't stray from his path. He stubbornly pushes forward and recklessly shoots down the incoming fighters.

"STOP IT! STOP IT, KID! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL US!" Owen yanks at Anakin's arms, but they won't let go. They won't let go of Nabi. Anakin starts to see her face again.

( _Flashback_ ) "Alright, I'll pull, and you try to push yourself out! Okay?" he tells her.

"Okay!" she yells back.

Anakin carefully pulls her arm as she tries pushing against the floor to break free. Another rupture shakes the entire ship, nearly knocking Anakin out of Nabi's hand. He recovers himself and looks back up.

"I got you! I got you!" he hangs onto her tight.

"Anakin, you've gotta listen to me! You have to listen to me!"

Anakin watches Nabi's mouth move rapidly, but he can't hear a single word.

"Nabi, I'm going to get you out of here! I'm gonna get you out! Don't worry!"

"No! No! Leave! Leave right now! You have to go! You have to leave without me!

She looks at him with utter sorrow, then starts to cry. Her tears drip onto his face.

"Nabi, it's alright! It's alright! I'm not going to leave without you! I'm never going to let go! Now, you push, and I'll pull! Okay?! I've got you!"

"You have to let go, Anakin. You have to let go. Live your life freely…," she whispers.

Then, as soon as he tries to pull her, she lets go of him. Anakin's eyes freeze in horror as Nabi slowly zooms out of sight.

( _Present Time_ ) Anakin's blue eyes water as a volley of laser blasts come his way. He's caught in a trance, without any clue of what to do. Owen spits into his ears some more.

"LET IT GO, KID! LET GO OF THE DAMN TOGGLE!"

Anakin finally lets go. He lets go of the toggle. He lets go of Nabi. He lets go of himself and pushes all the way towards the sky. The ship tilts to a vertical angle, shooting straight up into the atmosphere. Everyone falls to the bottom of the shuttle as Anakin's spirit cries out against its will. Once the shuttle breaks out of Lotho Minor, Owen Lars punches in coordinates and pulls down the light speed lever. They jump to hyperspace.

 

 


	14. Return to Coruscant - Prepare for Sith

**50.** **SET COURSE FOR CORUSCANT**

Outside of Lotho Minor's orbit the spherical core of the Lucrehulk-class battleship locks in place. Cloned warriors aimlessly dash around the facility. Fires spew across the walls and floors. An alarm wails repeatedly throughout the space station. Everything is in disarray as Darth Venger stomps into the command bridge.

She rubs her pink, swollen eyes and yells, "Captain! Set course for Coruscant!"

"We can't, sir! The main reactor core is damaged! We can't jump to lightspeed!"

"Then, call another ship to pick us up…," the Sith Lord seethes.

"Sir, the communications array is damaged. There's no way of making contact with other signals," an engineer reports.

The red Twi'lek rakes her forehead and yells out furiously. All of the glass covering the computer monitors rupture and shatter. The crew members brace and cower on the floor. Meanwhile, the Sith Lord's pink eyes twitch as she snarls at her own failure.

* * *

 

Inside the shuttle Anakin Skywalker hangs his head low, dreary eyed and heartbroken. Owen tries to regain his breath after all they've been through.

"I can't believe we're out of there," Lars looks out at the blue tunnel of hyperspace.

"We're lucky we made it alive," he continues.

"From my experience there's no such thing as luck," Obi-Wan enters the cockpit and looks at the two dirty men.

"And who the hell are you?" Owen looks at him.

Kenobi raises his eyebrows, "Where are my manners?"

He sassily bows to Owen.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi – Jedi Master of the Order."

Anakin blinks and turns to look at Kenobi. Owen turns away from the Jedi.

"Great. Another circus freak who's got a laser sword and can levitate things," he remarks.

Obi-Wan raises his eyebrows again and smirks at Owen's insult. Anakin stands up and introduces himself to the Jedi.

"Anakin Skywalker… I'm… a former Jedi."

Obi-Wan's eyes widen with surprise. He motions to speak, but Skywalker cuts him off.

"Do you know who Nabi is? She's a Padawan, and she needs help _right now_. She's stuck on their ship back there," he asks Kenobi.

"Of course! I know Nabi. She's my apprentice."

Anakin is taken aback. He looks at Kenobi closely.

"Then, you must understand that we have to go back and get her!" Anakin presses.

"Calm down. Calm down, Anakin. She will be alright. The Force is strong with her. Trust me. I know what you're feeling right now. She's been with me for a very long time. But, we must regroup and recover if we are to save her successfully."

Obi-Wan looks into Anakin's eyes to see if he understands him. The younger man gulps and looks down. He nods slightly. Anakin sits back down and settles his emotions.

"Where did you set course to?" Obi-Wan approaches Owen.

"Coruscant… about time I breathe some fresh air again."

Obi-Wan looks at the two rugged men.

"Was it you who attacked the facility?"

"Yeah… I still can't believe we did it," Owen shakes his head.

"Why? Why did you attack it?"

"What's with all the damn questions?! Can I get at least some peace and quiet after all the crap I've been through?!" Owen retorts.

"Owen, just answer the man! Okay? He's not doing you any harm," Anakin scolds him.

Owen looks away, muttering an expletive under his breath.

"We attacked the facility because we needed a ship to escape," Anakin answers Obi-Wan's question.

"We crashed on the planet… about three years ago. We couldn't find a way out until… until Nabi… showed us the hangar bay," Anakin gulps.

"How did Nabi end up there?" Obi-Wan looks at Anakin.

"She crashed too… just a week or so ago. I told my droid to go find the Jedi Order for help, but he… he ended up taking Nabi. I'm sorry for bringing her into this. She didn't deserve any of this."

"You did not bring her into this. You did not bring me into your ship either. The Force brought us all here, and there's a reason why it did so," Kenobi assures him.

The shuttle blasts out of the blue tunnel and heads towards the vastly-lit planet before them. Skywalker smoothly steers the ship into the bustling atmosphere of Coruscant, familiar with the fast-paced flow of its airways.

"Head towards the medical facility," Obi-Wan instructs him. "We have several wounded in the back."

The Jedi Master looks at Lars and Anakin's bruised and bloody faces.

"You may want to check yourselves in there too," he suggests.

Anakin types in the coordinates to the Grand Republic Medical Facility and soars through the Coruscant ecumenopolis.

* * *

**51.** **ALWAYS ALTERNATIVES TO FIGHTING**

Anakin lands the shuttle at the busy hospital's docking bay. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan sits beside Satine, who's starting to flutter awake. She sits up, looking at him and the white medical room around her.

"Where are we?" she looks at the surgical droid rotating beside her.

Obi-Wan calmly answers, "We're at the Coruscant Medical Facility. I've requested a paramedic unit to transport you to the emergency room. There'll be here shortly. The surgeon managed to stitch your leg back together, but your shin is swollen and your right eye is still bruised. I can't say how long you'll stay there, but it's best that you take time to recover."

"Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan…," Satine holds his hand.

Then, she starts to get up slowly from the bed.

"Thank you… thank you for all that you've done for me," her voice shivers with emotion. "But, I must get back to the Senate. I have to stop this invasion from occurring."

"What?" Kenobi grows concerned. "Satine, you're not in the condition to return back to work. You must completely recover first. I'm sure Vice Chancellor Palpatine could resume duties-

"Ben," Satine seriously looks at him, calling him a name only they share together.

"These are my friends… my family. I cannot abandon them during a time where hope is what they'll need most. They must know what's about to happen, and I must be there to stop it."

Satine turns away and limps towards a transport, with just her rags and without any footwear.

"Satine!" Obi-Wan calls. "These are not civilized people we're dealing with. They are warriors. I doubt pacifism will be a realistic option here."

"And would fighting them make us any more civilized than they are? Even extremists can be reasoned with," Satine turns back towards the transport.

"But Satine-

"I'm not condoning any action that could lead us to war! There are always alternatives to fighting. And I will go through every one of them before violence is a consideration!"

She turns around and continues limping towards the transport. Obi-Wan sighs in defeat. Then he rushes up to her and helps her aboard the ship. They both look at each other for a long moment.

"Satine," Obi-Wan faintly grins at her. "May the Force be with you."

Despite the arguments they always have about pacifism and intervention, Kenobi always admires her resiliency to remain purely peaceful. Satine faintly grins back at the only man she's ever loved and pecks him on the cheek. Then her transport's door shuts and it flies away.

Meanwhile, Anakin, Owen, Dengar, and the rest of the surviving scavengers step out of the shuttle. They all stare with their mouths open at the bright, vast cityscape of Galactic City. While some of them have been in the ecumenopolis before, all of them have never seen a fraction of this much civilization for three long years.

"Wow," Dengar smiles in awe. "How many people can say they went from being on the biggest dump in the galaxy to the shining crystal of the Capital… all in one day?"

For once, Owen nods at Dengar's remark, realizing he's right.

"Not many," Owen almost lets out a faint grin, finally feeling free.

Suddenly, the black-bearded Anakin starts to cough harshly. He bends over, tightly clutching onto his chest as the coughs relentlessly force their way out. Owen and Dengar look at him with concern.

"Anakin? You alright, mate?" Dengar approaches him.

The black-beard continues coughing, unable to respond. Suddenly, he collapses to the ground, coughing with no apparent end in sight.

"Anakin?! Anakin!" Owen and Dengar rush to his aid.

* * *

**52.** **CHANCELLOR MEETS CHANCELLOR**

Hundreds of citizens of the Republic gather in the Senate Plaza, applauding their Supreme Chancellor as she walks across a stage resting beneath the domed Senate Building. Satine, who appears completely healed without any injuries, gleefully smiles and waves at the people in a red sparkling dress as she confidently strides towards a podium.

"Thank you. Thank you to everyone for being here with us to celebrate the astounding achievement of garnering a record number of six-hundred and sixty trillion donations for the Galactic Blood Drive!"

The citizens applaud and cheer at the unprecedented accomplishment. The Chancellor's healthy, powdered face proudly smiles as she applauds as well with both of her pristine manicured hands.

"It's truly unbelievable. Really, all of you who've come from all corners of the galaxy, whether it be all the way from the Outer Rim to the Core,... all of you who generously donated your blood to help those in need represent the true heroism and patriotism that personifies this Republic. Thank you! Our gratitude truly surpasses hyperspace and beyond!"

The prideful donors applaud and cheer once again, honored to serve their democracy.

"Now at this time, I'd like to thank the head of the Republic Health Administration Doctor Lama Su and his intelligent medical team of Kaminoan specialists for making this wonderful blood drive possible for us every year."

The renowned Kaminoan doctor grins, humbly shaking hands with the Supreme Chancellor as the citizens applaud him. Doctor Su steps back before the Chancellor resumes her speech.

"I'd also like to thank the Jedi Order for once again comprising the largest amount of donations from a single organization by contributing nearly thirty-five percent of the total donations this year. Unfortunately, none of the Jedi could be present with us at this time. But their Grandmaster Vin Dooku has told me-

Satine's sky-blue eyes freeze. Her mouth drops. The microphone shrieks. Everyone else turns around to look at what shocked their proud Chancellor. The citizens all resoundingly gasp too.

A barefoot and bruised woman in rags limps through the crowd. The blonde-haired woman squints at the gaping reporters around her through her swollen black eye. Then she sternly eyes the high-heeled woman in the red dress above her. They both stare at each other for a long moment before the high-heeled doppelganger falls backwards from fainting.

Everyone immediately rushes to the fallen woman's aid except for the bruised Satine Kryze who defiantly stands alone amidst the commotion. Those that are helping the fallen woman look up at Satine's battered face, then look back at the fallen woman's healthy face. At a corner, Vice Chancellor Palpatine grits his teeth and hastily scurries away from the scene.

As the unconscious woman in the red dress is hauled away on an air-stretcher, the actual Supreme Chancellor of the Republic limps onto the stage and steps before the podium. She looks at the hundreds of people around her… at her friends and family. They all look at her in awe.

"Everyone… I know… I know this may be _very_ confusing," she clears her throat. "But, you must hear me out first. For the past several days I was held inside a secret facility located on the planet Lotho Minor. There I was questioned, beaten, and starved by a red Twi'lek woman whose name I know not of at this moment. But who I can confirm was also there at the location of my captivity was Doctor Lama Su and his team of Kaminoan specialists."

Everyone gasps in shock except for Lama Su himself, who's black almond-shaped eyes stare off into the distance, feeling the jitteriness of an emotion his race does not often feel: fear.

"Doctor Su and the Kaminoans are not the samaritans we once thought they were. They did not deliver our donated blood to other patients. Rather they sought to collect our blood, so they could have samples of our DNA to replicate it. They are creating clone bodies, and they are clones of all of us! That woman who was up here giving that speech moments ago… who looked like me, sounded like me, and even acted very similar was _not_ me! I have not been here for at least seven days! You've all been deceived!"

The citizens of the Republic look at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what to say.

"I know this sounds bizarre. But, I have seen with my own eyes these clones the Kaminoans manifested. There were thousands of them, all trained to kill. And it is their intention to invade the Republic here! I don't know how or when this invasion will take place, but please… I advise all of you to safeguard yourselves and protect your families immediately! I am going to negotiate with our attackers and hope we can come to a peaceful resolution before any violence can occur. I will not allow a war to happen!"

The moment she finishes speaking, hundreds of arms shoot up and millions of voices yell out questions for the real Chancellor of the Republic.

* * *

**53.** **THE KYBER CRYSTAL**

Obi-Wan hastily marches inside the Jedi Temple. The Jedi around the area stare at Kenobi, covering their gasps and whispers with their white cloaks. Feeling dozens of eyes upon him, Kenobi continues marching forward toward a gathering hosted by the order's Grandmaster.

"Master Dooku!" Kenobi's voice breaks the serene atmosphere of the gathering.

"Master Kenobi?" the elderly Grandmaster blinks a few times.

The rest of the Jedi look up at Obi-Wan with great surprise, believing he had abandoned them.

"Gather everyone!" Obi-Wan marches up to Dooku. "We have to prepare for battle! The Sith have returned, and they seek to possess the kyber crystal! We have to secure and transport it to a different location, probably off the planet. But at all costs, we must not let it fall into their hands!"

Dooku's face twitches incessantly. Even as the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, he is absolutely shell-shocked by what his friend, who he thought went missing, is saying to him right now.

Inside the Chamber of the High Council Obi-Wan relays his information to the other Jedi Masters.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold on a second," Rahm Kota starts. "Did you just say the Sith?"

"Yes," Kenobi nods, "...the same Sith who fought the Jedi ages ago have returned, and they've cloned an entire army of warriors to fight us!"

All of the Jedi Masters stare at him speechlessly. They slightly tremble within their robes.

"What is going on right now?" Kit Fisto scratches his green tentacle head.

"How could the Sith come back?" the Togruta Shaak Ti grows concerned. "They've been unquestionably extinct for thousands of generations. It was confirmed by Satele Shan that the Empire disbanded after the Emperor was defeated!"

"I don't know," Kenobi looks at her. "I don't know the answers to any of these questions. But I do know that the Sith seek the kyber crystal, and they will do everything in their power to retrieve it!"

Moments later, Grandmaster Dooku and Obi-Wan walk towards a heavily secured bunker beneath the main building of the Jedi Temple.

"What could the Sith possibly want with the crystal?" Dooku asks him.

"I think they want to weaponize it," Kenobi suggests. "Somehow find a way to harness its radioactive core."

Dooku looks down and ponders. He has never been this befuddled in his entire seventy-year life.

"Is that even possible?" he asks Obi-Wan.

"Master Yoda once told me that long ago, when the Sith and the Jedi waged wars against each other, they used weapons… capable of destroying massive star fleets and entire planets. And, at the hearts of each of these weapons were kyber crystals."

They share a look of horror as the enormous door to the bunker opens, hiding one of the galaxy's most majestic wonders: the ancient kyber crystal. No one knows how or when it came to be. All one knows is that it possesses so much power no instrument could possibly measure its enormity.

The frigate-sized green crystal is carefully strung up to the ceiling. It weighs twelve and a half tons and stretches out to almost fifteen meters, covering the entire width of the bunker. Nuclear physicists and crystallographers, led by a young Doctor Galen Erso and his wife Lyra, huddle around the green mystery, probing its sparkling walls for answers.

* * *

**54.** **LEAVING THE PAST**

A GH-7 medical droid shines a flashlight over Anakin Skywalker's dreary blue eyes. A tear drips down his cheek, and it's not because of the light. Additionally, a plastic oxygen mask covers Anakin's face, allowing him to breathe in and out slowly as if he were a scuba-diver.

"Well?" Owen Lars awaits the droid's diagnosis from the side.

The droid flicks off the flashlight and examines the rashes spreading across Anakin's malnourished body.

The droid explains, "It appears you have a case of acute bronchitis. From your chest x-rays, I noticed that your bronchial tubes are inflamed. This is likely due to the prolonged exposure you experienced with Lotho Minor's acid rain. I'd like to do more tests to measure the exact damage inflicted on your lungs."

"How come I didn't develop this?" Owen looks at the hovering droid. "I was on the planet as long as he was."

"Hmm…," the droid's computer thinks. "What did you say again, Mister Skywalker? You said you were aboard a cruiser without any safety restraints when it crashed?"

The droid's static blue eyes turn to Anakin. The black-beard gives a slow, exhausted nod.

The droid's static expression responds with disbelief, "It's miraculous you survived."

"You could say that a million times about him," Owen remarks.

Suddenly, Anakin gets up, rips off the oxygen mask, and leaves the room. R2-D2 follows him.

"Hey!" Owen shouts at him. "Where are you going?!"

Anakin ignores him as he storms across the hospital lobby. Owen rushes after him as he pushes past the hospital's entrance and marches towards a nearby transport.

"Anakin! ANAKIN!" Owen grabs his arm. "What the hell are you doing?! The doctor's not finished with you!"

Anakin shakes Owen's hand away. Owen notices the dark shades clouding over his face.

"I'm going to help the Jedi," Anakin states. "And whether you're with me or not, you can't stop me."

Anakin turns away and starts heading towards the transport again.

"What?! Kid! Kid!" Owen tries to grab him.

" _Don't_ call me that anymore!" Anakin's voice deepens. "You think you're smarter than me? You think you can boss me around by calling me that?! Huh?!"

"NO!" Owen yells. "I CALL YOU A KID BECAUSE AT TWENTY-SIX-YEARS OLD YOU STILL ACT LIKE ONE!"

The two men heatedly stare at each other. Both of their veins boil with pure aggression. Owen, a decade older than Anakin, tries to calm his breathing as he speaks again.

"Ever since I took you in, I tried to teach you the truth about life. The harsh reality. But no… you wanted to get drunk, play around with your ships, and sleep with a few prostitutes every night, even though it almost got you killed every time! I saved you from your delirious fantasies! I saved you from killing yourself over a hundred-

"You did NOTHING!" Anakin's voice thunders as he towers over Lars. "You never protected me. You needed me to protect _your_ ass every time a deal went south! Remember? 'Skywalker's always the getaway pilot; it's the only thing he's good at.' Yeah… well, you're gonna be looking for a new pilot now."

Anakin starts to walk away, and Owen stops him again.

"And, you think the Jedi will be better? You left them because you said that they-

"I never said I was rejoining the Jedi...," Anakin states.

"Well then why the hell are you…," Owen stops himself and looks down at the ground.

A stroke of realization ripples across his face. He looks back up at Anakin.

"Oh… the girl."

Anakin's increasingly red face twitches as Owen continues.

"What did she ever do to you?" Owen chuckles. "Or actually, what do you even see in her? She's just a spoiled, entitled brat, who always thinks she's right even though she makes the dumbest mistakes I've ever seen! You'd get plenty more from an android!"

"At least she's not someone who demeans you for your ideals!" Anakin fires back at Owen.

"How do you have any decency, Owen? How does a man like you have the ability to wake up and be happy with yourself? No wonder why you can't get anybody… any job… nothing. You're just nothing more than an underworld thug that I should've left six years ago."

Anakin storms away from Owen Lars and doesn't look back.

"Anakin! Anakin!" Lars calls. "Stop! Please!"

Owen trembles; tears begin to form behind his shaggy hair.

"Okay, you're right! You're right about me!" Lars whelps.

Anakin stops just inches before the transport, but he refuses to look back at Owen.

"You're right," Owen's voice quivers. "I'm just a… pathetic, piece of crap who's never amounted to any success. But, if you think I just wanted to use your skills to protect me…"

Owen shakes his head as tears flow down his dirty face.

"When we first met, I saw a young man with great potential, and I didn't want him to screw it up like I did! You could live a decent life Anakin, with a wife and kids and no killing to deal with. But if you go out there and join their idealistic crusade… you're not gonna like what you become. Trust me, look at where I'm at now. I am done with those drug deals and bounty hunts! I'm done screwing myself over just to snatch a few sacks of spice to smoke! I just want to live a simple life now…, and I thought you would want the same."

Anakin trembles from Owen's words. He resists the tears that want to flow from his eyes. He knows he wants the life that Owen speaks of. He knows that is his ultimate dream. Owen looks on at his friend, hoping he'll reconsider. Anakin stands still for a long moment, pondering over his past ventures with Owen. Then… he leaves. Anakin steps aboard a transport, without looking back, abandoning Owen Lars and his past. R2 accompanies Anakin on the ship as it takes off.

 

 


	15. Battle of the Jedi Temple

**55.** **BEST STAR-PILOT IN THE GALAXY**

The transport disembarks at the Jedi Temple. Skywalker steps off and heads towards the past he once abandoned. R2 rolls after him. Dozens of Jedi Knights and Padawans spar across the gardens, preparing themselves for a possible battle. Anakin skips up to the plinth and moves towards the temple's front entrance. Two masked, white-hooded temple guards ignite their double-bladed yellow lightsabers and block Skywalker from entering.

"Halt!" they yell. "You are not recognized!"

"What? Ah… blast! Okay… I'm Anakin Skywalker… former Jedi Padawan."

The guards remain still and silent. Anakin gathers they still don't recognize him.

"Okay, the Chosen One?" Anakin mentions. "Does the Chosen One ring any bells? I'm him. I'm the guy who's supposed to 'bring balance to the Force'... whatever that means."

The guards look at each other, a little perplexed; their blades still block Anakin's way.

Anakin sighs, "Guys, please. I want to help you fight. I know exactly-

"Well, well, well…," a gruff voice says behind Anakin, "...if it isn't the kid who gave up and walked away."

Anakin resentfully turns around.

"Hello, Rahm. How's your eye been all these years?" Anakin grits his teeth and coughs.

Rahm Kota's scarred eye blinks, "Good… at least it's better than your lungs."

Anakin recovers from his coughing and scowls at the Jedi Master. Kota scowls back at him.

"What happened to you, kid? Smoke too many death sticks on your 'leave of absence?'" he mocks Anakin.

"Rahm…," Anakin withholds his anger, "...this isn't the time for that. You've gotta let me into the Ace Squadron. I know exactly what type of ships they have, and how to maneuver past them."

"Since when did you learn how to fly?" Rahm questions. "And how do you know what kinds of ships they have?"

"Because he fought with me," another familiar Jedi approaches.

Obi-Wan steps forth and winks at Anakin.

"Anakin's the reason why I'm here," Kenobi looks at Kota. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here, and you would not have known about this attack."

"Wait!" Rahm is baffled. "You mean Skywalker saved you from the Sith's facility?"

"Yes… he lead a small battalion of fifty-two was it?" Obi-Wan turns to Skywalker.

"Fifty-three," Anakin corrects him and smirks.

"All against an army of thousands," Kenobi finishes, looking at Kota. "Now, if you're telling me this man can't fly or lead a battalion… then I don't know who can."

Obi-Wan smiles as Kota snorts a breath of bitterness.

Moments later, Obi-Wan and Anakin fast-walk together inside the temple.

"Thanks for saving my skin back there," Anakin tells the Jedi Master.

"None taken. So Anakin," Obi-Wan looks at the young man, "...are you sure you want to fight in this?

"Yeah… yeah, I'm sure. We've gotta save Nabi, remember?"

"Yes, but Anakin, are you ever concerned about losing your _own_ life?"

Anakin pauses for a moment, thinking about his whole crazy life so far.

"No…," the young man looks at Kenobi sternly. "Not if someone else's depends on it."

Obi-Wan smiles faintly and nods, confirming that Anakin is ready.

"So, you said you want to pilot, correct?" Kenobi asks.

"Yeah…"

Obi-Wan leads Anakin into a bustling hangar bay filled with Jedi Starfighters.

"Whoa…," Anakin gawks at the shiny, colorful ships around him.

Obi-Wan approaches the lead main pilot Ace Squadron Leader, Master Saesee Tiin.

"Master Tiin," Kenobi bows to the horned, slightly orange-skinned Iktotchi.

"Master Kenobi," Saesee bows and eyes the young man beside Obi-Wan.

"This is Anakin Skywalker," Obi-Wan introduces. "He led a squadron of STAPs against the clone army and rescued myself and the Chancellor from the planet. I think he wants to settle his score, but this time in a cockpit."

Anakin looks at Obi-Wan in disbelief.

"Alright… do you think you can handle this ship, Skywalker?" Tiin points to a yellow starfighter.

Anakin looks at the fighter and smirks, finally feeling at home.

"You bet I can. I'm the best star-pilot in the galaxy."

Obi-Wan raises his eyebrows and smirks at Anakin's cockiness. R2 chirps excitedly. The other Jedi pilots prep their ships for battle. A voice over the P.A. blares throughout the hangar.

"Attention! All flight personnel! Please report to your commanders immediately! All flight personnel! Please report to your commanders immediately! We will have a mandatory briefing in less than five minutes!"

* * *

**56.** **THROUGH VICTORY, MY CHAINS ARE BROKEN**

The next morning, a lone shuttle dips towards Coruscant's atmosphere. It soars through multiple airways, not giving heed to the speeders flying around. Pilots honk and yell at the shuttle as it speeds straight towards the Jedi Temple.

Meanwhile, inside the temple Master Rahm Kota trains dozens of Padawans in various lightsaber techniques. In a dark backroom Master Shaak Ti, wrapped in her tribal Togruta attire comprising of rough animal hides, approaches an engineer monitoring a wide panel of controls.

"Are the defense shields up?" she asks the engineer. "We don't want to be sacked again."

The engineer presses a button, projecting a blue hologram of the entire temple resting beneath a domed-shape. Shaak Ti nods approval, and she walks away. Once her sandaled footsteps exit the room and disappear, a sudden loud thud surprises the engineer. He looks behind and walks away from the control panel to investigate the sound. A few seconds pass and then a mysterious brown-cloaked hand presses a button on the control panel.

Inside the lone shuttle, which still banks towards the Jedi Temple, a black-gloved hand holds the same hologram of the Jedi Temple that was displayed at the control panel. Except this time, the domed-shape above the temple disappears.

"Shields down," a woman's deep voice says.

Back inside the Temple, Grandmaster Dooku and a group of Jedi enter a chamber where the window blinds block out the sun. They sit cross-legged on the floor and close their eyes.

"There is no emotion… there is peace…," Dooku and his followers recite.

The lone shuttle zooms closer to the temple. The shuttle's passengers recite a doctrine as well.

"Peace is a _lie_ , there is _only passion_!" they chant together as Rahm Kota and his knights furiously spar with each other.

"There is no passion, there is serenity," Dooku and his Jedi continue as Anakin Skywalker shaves off his entire beard.

"Through passion, I gain _strength_!" the shuttle's passengers shout as a clean-shaven Anakin heaves R2 into his starfighter.

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge," the Jedi continue while Chancellor Satine Kryze reads through several documents behind her desk.

"Through strength, I gain _power!_ " the lone shuttle dips towards the Jedi Temple's entrance.

"There is no chaos, there is harmony," Dooku continues as Obi-Wan calmly helps Doctor Erso's scientists in moving the gigantic kyber crystal.

"Through power, I gain _victory_!" the passengers shout as their shuttle soars over the heads of several shocked Jedi across the temple's gardens.

"There is no death…, there is… the Force," Dooku finishes.

Suddenly, the lone shuttle smashes right through the massive doors of the Jedi Temple. It crashes onto the floor, skidding across the main corridor while desperate Jedi try leaping out of its way. The shuttle's wings rip through every pillar on each side of the hall, causing an avalanche of debris to fall on top of Jedi. The shuttle's momentum starts to slow down; its underbelly digging through the concrete floor.

Rahm Kota slowly rises with his knights as the shuttle screeches to a complete halt before them. Nothing happens as the dust settles. Nothing happens for a very long… silent… moment.

Suddenly, the door to the shuttle slides open, and Darth Venger steps out from the shadows, igniting her red lightsaber.

"Through victory, my chains are broken," her deep voice continues the doctrine.

In the darkness behind her, dozens of red lightsabers ignite.

"And, the Force shall set… me… FREE!" her cloned warriors shout.

The Sith Clones charge towards the Jedi Knights, and the Jedi charge towards the Sith Clones. Dozens upon dozens of Sith Warriors rush out of the shuttle. Dozens upon dozens of Jedi Knights rush out of corridors around the temple. The two forces collide for the first time in a thousand generations and tear the Force apart.

Knights and warriors clash lightsabers and duel to the death. Each blue blade is met by a red blade. Each green blade is countered by a red blade. Lightsabers swing all around the temple as the Jedi and the Sith revisit their long, lost rivalry.

Darth Venger charges towards Rahm Kota, and Rahm Kota busts through her clone warriors to close the distance between them. The Sith Lord raises her red saber, and the Jedi Master raises his green saber. The two leaders smash into each other and duel. Venger swings for his head. The Jedi Master ducks and swings for her legs. She hops over his blade, and they continue to duel aggressively.

Elsewhere, Master Shaak Ti ducks under a Sith Warrior's swing and knocks him down with her blue saber. Then, she twirls up into the air and kicks another warrior in the face with her bare toe knuckles. She spins around again and slashes the warrior through the gut.

Master Plo Koon knocks down a clone and force chokes another rushing towards him. He lifts the clone into the air and thrusts his body into a pillar.

Darth Venger and Rahm Kota continue to duel ferociously in the heat of the battle. The Sith Lord leaps atop the Jedi Master, clashing blades above his face. The red Twi'lek sneers with her yellow teeth.

Meanwhile, Kit Fisto slides underneath a row of lightsabers while cutting down the legs of Sith Warriors on each side with both of his blades. Kit leaps up and twirls into the air, slashing through the back of a tall warrior. Then he pushes both of his hands out in mid-air and half a dozen clones fly back. Fisto lands perfectly on his feet and continues to duel in the onslaught.

Up above in another mezzanine Luminara Unduli and a Sith Warrior clash blades. At a mezzanine above her Barriss Offee and a Sith Warrior clash blades. And out in the main corridor Rahm Kota and Darth Venger clash blades in a complete, utter stalemate!

* * *

**57.** **ALL WINGS REPORT IN**

Alarms blare inside the temple's hangar bay as all of the Jedi pilots rush to their ships.

"Alert! Alert! We are under attack!" the P.A. shouts. " This is not a drill! All pilots report to the hangar bay immediately! All pilots report to the hangar bay immediately!"

Anakin frantically zips on a blue jumpsuit and climbs into his yellow starfighter. Master Saesee Tiin, already in his dark-green starfighter, commands the Ace Squadron to enter their fighters and prepare for take-off. Meanwhile, Anakin's cockpit slowly closes in around him. He slips on his leather gloves and white helmet, switching on the ship's engines. The other fighters' engines light up and whir to life. They all start to lift off the floor and disembark from the hangar bay.

"All wings report in!" Saesee Tiin hastily straps himself in place.

"Ace 10 standing by."

"Ace 3 standing by."

"Ace 9 standing by."

"Ace 7 standing by."

"Ace 5 standing by," Skywalker reports in.

"Lock s-foils in attack position," Tiin commands.

All of the Jedi starfighters spread open their wings as they pass by the ruined gardens of the Jedi Temple.

"By the Force… they've blown up the entire entrance!" one pilot observes the rubble that were once the grand doors to the Jedi Temple.

"They're attacking everywhere!" another pilot gapes at the armadas of Sith Clones charging out of dropships across the temple's yard.

"Alright, here's the deal," Saesee starts, "We have to defend a Nu-Class Transport at the southwest entrance of the temple. It'll be carrying the kyber crystal. Make sure no ships attack it! We have to ensure the crystal gets out-"

"Look out!" a pilot yells.

From out of the sky, a hailfire of red missiles shoot towards the Ace Starfighters. The Ace Squadron splits apart, desperately dodging the barrage of lasers.

"I'M HIT! I'M GOING DOWN!" a pilot screams over the comm, then his transmission goes static.

"They're coming from above! There's a whole fleet of them!" another pilot reports.

Skywalker looks up at the black Hex-Wings and B-Wings diving towards them.

"All pilots regroup at the southwest entrance!" Saesee Tiin commands.

"Copy!" Anakin yelps.

He flies his starfighter low, trying to dodge the enemy ships dropping like flies out of the sky. The B-Wings' bombs and missiles bust through the marble walls holding the Jedi Temple together. The explosions incinerate a few unlucky Jedi in the vicinity.

* * *

**58.** **VENGER VS. KOTA**

Back inside the temple Grandmaster Dooku frantically evacuates the young Initiates and Younglings out of the battle scene. Dooku looks around at his fellow Jedi falling over and being stabbed to death by the Sith Clones. Master Shaak Ti rushes up to him.

"How did the shields go down?!" the Togruta exclaims to her elder. "I checked that they were up earlier!"

Dooku shakes his head nervously, "I don't know. But we have to get the children out of here!"

Shaak Ti nods in agreement, and she and Dooku help rush the Jedi youth to safety.

Back in the main hall of the temple, a whole group of Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors collide into each other. Those that are knocked down try defending themselves. Those that are still standing try executing the souls beneath them.

Darth Venger and Rahm Kota continue dueling amidst the chaos. The Sith Lord presses harder than she ever has, irritated that she cannot knock down the battle-hardened Jedi Master. Her attacks are so swift and vicious that Rahm cannot even parry them out of his way. Instead, he ducks and flips to dodge her saber. However, he fails to dodge a heavy kick to the chest from the Sith Lord. Kota's body flies back. He flips over and lands on his feet, looking up at his opponent.

Suddenly, two Sith Warriors jump him from behind, but his Jedi reflexes swipe them down instantly. While he's distracted, Venger hurls her saber at him. It twirls in the air, straight for his head. But, Kota manages to leap above it at the nick of time. As his body floats in the air, Venger pushes both of her hands out with such an enormous force. Kota's body blasts away.

He slams face first onto the concrete floor. His lightsaber flies out of his hand. His dirty, scarred face coughs as fresh blood spills down his cheeks. He looks up, hearing Venger's animalistic roar. The Sith Lord leaps fifteen feet into the air, pointing her lightsaber down at the Jedi Master. At the last second, Kota rolls out of the way as Venger's saber stabs right into the floor where his head was.

The Sith tries pulling her saber out, but Kota kicks her in the face with his metal boot and recovers back onto his feet. He pulls his saber towards him again and charges towards the Sith Lord with his own rabid battle cry.

The Sith and the Jedi swing for each other's heads, hoping to spot an opening. Kota manages to sneak in a hard punch to Venger's face. She stumbles backwards, and Rahm rains his saber upon her. Venger blocks his strike at the last second. But, the Jedi is still dominant over her.

"You're a damn tough warrior, young lady," Kota seethes above her. "But, you ain't gonna outlast experience."

"I don't have to," Venger grits, looking up at a massive statue toppling down upon them.

Kota looks up at the statue as Venger scrambles out of the way. The thirty-foot tall bronze statue of Master Yoda crumbles on top of Kota and crushes him. As the dust from the crash settles, Venger stands back up, staggering a bit. She pants heavily, looking at the fallen statue for any sign of life. But, there is none. The Twi'lek turns away and looks at the elevators in the distance.

"I need a squad of fifty troops with me!" she holds her comlink up to her face.

"We're taking the kyber crystal at the bottom floor."

"Understood, sir."

Darth Venger stomps towards the elevator.

 

 


	16. Battle of Coruscant - Betrayal

**59.** **HAVE MERCY**

At the bottom floor of the temple fifty Jedi Knights await for the Sith's attempt to take the kyber crystal. Obi-Wan rushes inside the crystal's secured bunker where a dozen of other Jedi and scientists try removing the enormous jewel from the ceiling.

"How much longer do we have?" Kenobi frantically asks Doctor Galen Erso.

Erso and his team struggle to remove the crystal from the ceiling with their machinery. They plan to place it on top of a massive hovercart afterwards.

"Ah… we're nearly there!" Erso trembles.

Obi-Wan looks at the elevator lights leading down to the bunker. The lights nearly reach their level.

"We have to leave, now!" Obi-Wan assists the doctor and his team in trying to move the gargantuan jewel out of there.

Meanwhile, inside the dim, red-lit elevator a whole crowd of Sith Clones yearn for the Jedi's blood. They lick their chops and growl in anticipation. Darth Venger stands at the back. Her fiery yellow eyes stare straight forward.

On the other side the Jedi Knights lean forward in battle-ready stances. They try holding their anxious bodies steadily as the elevator reaches their floor. For a brief second, there's complete silence. Then the elevator pings, and the doors open. A whole stampede of clones roar and try stumbling out of the elevator. But the Jedi push back, keeping them trapped inside. The Sith opposition struggles to gain any ground within the confines of the elevator. Beneath their legs several mouse droids roll out of the elevator, navigating between everyone's feet. The Jedi continue cutting down the Sith, putting a swift end to their desperate assault. Suddenly, all of the mouse droids stop in different areas with nobody even noticing them.

The mouse droids explode, blowing up the crowds of Jedi Knights and most of the Sith Clones within the area. Darth Venger stands still at the back of the elevator, not concerned about the explosions or any of her clones dying. Inside the bunker Obi-Wan and the scientists momentarily stop working and look at the massive closed doors, hearing the endless explosions and their friends' cries of death on the other side. They still have yet to move the crystal.

The explosions finally cease, and the path between Venger and the bunker is clear. She marches towards the doors of the bunker. All around her lay the dismembered corpses of Jedi and Sith. One young Padawan, who appears to be in her late teens, shivers in her own blood.

"Please ma'am, have mercy. You don't have to-

Without looking at her, Venger swiftly decapitates the girl as she passes by. The Sith Lord steps up to the doors of the bunker, pauses for a moment, then raises one of her hands. She firmly grips her saber in the other hand, anticipating a Jedi attack as she moves the massive doors open with the Force. Once the steel doors slowly stretch wide open, Venger stomps inside the bunker.

It's completely empty. There's no sign of the kyber crystal… or anyone. The Sith Lord's yellow eyes widen in disarray; she nearly panics.

"Push!" a man's voice echoes in the distance.

The Sith Lord looks over and hurries to a tunnel. In the far distance a group of people hurriedly haul away the kyber crystal on a hovercraft. The group escapes behind a blast door. Obi-Wan looks at the Sith Lord before the door completely shuts. Instead of pursuing them, Venger holds up her comlink.

"They've escaped with the crystal underground! Flank them on the outside!" she orders.

* * *

**60.** **KENOBI VS. KENOBI**

Obi-Wan leads the group of researchers and Jedi throughout the underground tunnels.

"The transport is on the southwest point of the temple. Make sure the crystal is secure aboard the ship!" he commands them.

"Sir! Yes, sir!" the Jedi Knights respond.

Kenobi's troop hustles out of the tunnel, bearing witness to the battle tearing the Jedi Temple apart. They watch starfighters riddling the sky with lasers and explosions. They watch their fellow Jedi fend off the Sith's overwhelming forces.

"Saraya," Kenobi looks at a female Jedi Knight, "I need you to escort the doctor and his team out of here. Make sure they're safe and secure."

"Yes, sir," she nods.

Saraya turns to Galen Erso and his team, leading them away from the battle. Doctor Erso turns to Kenobi before leaving and grabs his shoulder.

"Safeguard the crystal. Its energy would be far too great to control," Erso warns him.

"You have my word," Kenobi promises.

Galen leaves with his wife and colleagues. Obi-Wan looks back at his knights with the crystal.

"Come on!" Kenobi points his lightsaber forward, leading his knights to the southwest side.

They push the crystal's heavy weight forward, charging across the temple's gardens, cutting down any clones in their path. An enemy dropship hovers towards them.

"I have them in my sights, my lord. They're at the west side of the temple. Shall I engage?" a clone warrior, who sounds awfully like Kenobi, speaks to his comlink.

"Affirmative," Darth Venger chimes in.

Obi-Wan spots the Nu-class transport about a hundred yards away.

"There it is! We're nearly there!" he encourages the knights.

But then, a black dropship obstructs their view of the transport and lands right in front of them. Kenobi and his knights come to a halt. The dropship's door slides open, and a group of clones step out. All of them are led by a clone who looks exactly like Obi-Wan.

"Hello there!" the clone Kenobi smiles, approaching his template. "Were you… going someplace?"

The real Kenobi steps forward, "I see that they've captured my dashing looks and stole my famous greeting. Quite harsh."

"What are you going to do? Sue me for copyright?" the clone Kenobi asks.

"Ha! I didn't think clones possessed a sense of humor."

"Only if they're a clone of Kenobi."

Obi-Wan sighs in agreement with his doppelganger.

"Well, if there's one thing you'll learn in life, it's that there's only one Kenobi."

The Jedi Master ignites his blue lightsaber, holds it above his head at a horizontal angle, and points two fingers forward. His clone ignites a red lightsaber and imitates the same movements.

"After I kill you, nobody will even tell the difference," his clone remarks.

The two Kenobi's duel as the rest of their forces fight against each other.

* * *

**61.** **ONLY AN "IF"**

A Jedi Starfighter zips over them, followed closely by a Hex-Wing starfighter.

"I've got one on my six! I can't shake him!" the Jedi pilot tries looking back at the Hex-Wing instead of his visual scanner. The Hex-Wing blasts the starfighter's engines.

"I'M GOING DOWN! HELP ME!" the pilot screams as he explodes into oblivion.

Anakin listens to his comrade's final cries over the transmission. His spine shivers. Then, he notices a Hex-Wing chasing after Saesee Tiin's fighter.

"Ace Leader! You've picked up one on your tail!" he informs him.

"I know! I know! He's a tough one to shake!" Tiin weaves around as the Hex-Wing shoots and nearly hits him.

"Hold on tight! I'll cover you!" Skywalker moves in behind the enemy fighter.

He looks down at his target monitor, centering himself with the Hex-Wing. His cannons lock onto the fighter and blast it into a million pieces.

"Thanks, Ace 5," Tiin sighs relief.

Anakin observes the enemy fighters' blasts penetrating buildings and destroying civilian speeders in several airways.

"We have to draw them away from the city!" Anakin suggests. "They're endangering the citizens!"

"We have to stay near the transport when it starts to take off!" Saesee Tiin retorts.

"How important is this crystal?! Is it more important than the lives of others?!" Anakin responds.

"This crystal is a weapon of mass destruction. If it blows up, they'll be no one left to save!" Tiin speaks the truth.

Anakin considers his comment for a long moment. Then, he looks up.

"That's 'if' Master, that's only an 'if.' The kyber crystal isn't on board yet. So right now, we have to concentrate on the moment."

"What are you proposing?" Tiin stubbornly asks.

"I need three-quarters of the squad to come with me. We'll round up as many fighters as we can and draw them away from the civilians. The other quarter can stay with you, so you can guard the transport."

"I don't think this is a good idea, Skywalker," the Jedi Master remarks.

"The city's sustaining too much damage! We've got to do something before it's too late! If you care so much about the Jedi Code, then you would know this is the right thing to do."

Tiin thinks over it and sighs.

"Alright. Everyone, copy Ace 5's order and follow his lead!"

* * *

**62.** **CAT AND MOUSE**

Back on the ground, real Kenobi and clone Kenobi duel beside the kyber crystal. Real Kenobi studies his clone's dueling technique.

"I see you've mastered Soresu," he comments.

"And, Ataru, Niman, Vaapad…," his clone brags.

"That's quite impressive," real Kenobi compliments him.

The Jedi Master tries sensing the energy surrounding the clone. He does not detect any.

"But, have you mastered this ability?" the Jedi asks his clone.

"I've mastered everything you can do! There's nothing more I could learn about you!"

"Well, that's wonderful! I guess you'll just walk away and fly your ship out of here then," the Jedi waves his hand in front of his clone.

Clone Kenobi suddenly stops dueling. He looks straight ahead; his eyes freeze and turn milky.

"I will walk away and fly my ship out of here," his clone says in a robotic tone.

The clone turns around and walks towards his ship like a droid. Real Kenobi smiles at his act of trickery. As soon as the clone enters his ship, a B-Wing bombs it from the sky.

"What?!" Obi-Wan is confused by the B-Wing attacking its own ally.

The clone's damaged dropship spirals towards Kenobi. The Jedi prepares to move, but looks at the kyber crystal quickly.

"Secure the kyber crystal!" he tries yelling at his knights, but the dropship crashes and explodes between them.

Once the fire and smoke clears, Obi-Wan is nowhere to be seen. Two Jedi Knights look at each other, fearing that Kenobi is dead. Suddenly, a red Twi'lek leaps from the top of the temple and slams her blade against the knights' lightsabers. Darth Venger looks at the two Jedi with absolute fury in her eyes. She duels with them. They struggle to maintain any composure against her. The Sith Lord ducks under one of their swings, and force pushes one of the knights into the temple's wall. Then, she leaps up and stabs the other knight straight through his back. Venger turns around and looks at the kyber crystal. She finally sees it with her very own eyes, taken aback by how beautiful it is. But with no time to waste, she fast approaches it.

"I have the crystal. Set a dropship at the west point," she speaks to her comlink.

"Yes, sir."

However, before Venger can even lay a finger on the hovercart, it pulls away from her. The Sith Lord's eyes widen as she spots three Jedi pulling the hovercart towards them with the Force. The Sith reaches out with her own hand. She tries pulling the cart back with all of her might. The Jedi pull harder, and their combined strength in the Force outlasts the lone darksider. The kyber crystal pulls closer to the Jedi until a Hex-Wing blasts them all away.

Venger looks up at her own pilot soaring away. Then she refocuses on the crystal, running towards it. Suddenly, the crystal pulls away from her again; this time it pulls towards a group of a half-dozen Jedi on the other side. The Sith Lord groans annoyance as she tries chasing after the crystal. Another Hex-Wing blasts the group of Jedi away, leaving it open for the Sith's taking.

But then, the crystal pulls towards another group of Jedi on the other side. The Sith Lord looks at them irritatingly, chasing after the crystal again. A Hex-Wing blasts those Jedi away, but as soon as they do, another group of Jedi pull the crystal towards them. The Jedi pull the crystal back-and-forth, from one side to the other, leaving the Sith Lord to zigzag across the entire field.

* * *

Meanwhile, Skywalker plays a game of cat and mouse as a Hex-Wing tails him.

"Alright, I've got one on my six. Now, I'm headed towards you," he chimes into the comm unit.

"This place is a maze! What are we supposed to do down here?!" a pilot asks him.

"Lead them into a trap," Skywalker smirks.

His starfighter arrives at the city's vast, wide-open electrical grid. He dives deep into a trench within the grid, and the Hex-Wing follows suit. Anakin weaves left and right, dodging the fighter's blasts. He turns left and enters another trench. Just as the pilot said, the whole grid is a complete maze of trenches. One could easily get lost in it, but Skywalker's had experience with this from the trash mounds on Lotho Minor. Skywalker turns right, entering another trench where a friendly ship heads straight for him.

"WHOA! LOOK OUT!" the other pilot dodges him.

Anakin chuckles and blasts away the Hex-Wing chasing the pilot.

"That was a close one!" the pilot tells Anakin.

"Nah…," Anakin grins, "I've had worse."

"You've got one above you, Ace 5. Do you want me to pursue?" a pilot asks Anakin.

"No, I've got this," Anakin flips switches and looks at the ship pursuing him.

"How close do you think he is, R2?" Anakin looks at his droid.

R2 swivels his dome towards the fighter and zooms in his camera. He bleeps.

"Six meters? Are you sure?"

R2 bleeps reassurance.

"Okay… let's hope this works."

Anakin turns left into another trench. The Hex-Wing follows, right on his tail. It starts shooting at him again. He dodges all the shots. A few of the bolts blast into a power coupling tower ahead. Purple electricity starts to generate from the impact.

"R2, DIVERT ALL POWER TO THE ENGINES!" Anakin shouts as he heads straight for the irritated power couplings.

As soon as Anakin zips past them, a wall of electricity stretches out. A few electrical bolts hits Anakin's starfighter. However, the Hex-Wing fighter runs straight into the electrical field. The ship's circuits malfunction, the pilot is electrocuted, and the whole ship blows up.

"Yeah! We got 'em, R2!" Anakin cheers.

The droid bleeps furiously as he tries shaking off the electrical bolts flowing through him.

Anakin looks at the droid, "Oh yeah… sorry… it stings."

* * *

**63.** **I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS**

A volley of laser blasts blow up the sides of skyscrapers as civilians try evacuating from them. A magenta-skinned Mikkian woman rushes out of a crumbling building with her baby in her arms. She tries calming her screaming child as starfighters and other debris crash around them. Suddenly, the mother trips and falls, losing grip of her baby.

The mother looks up at a steel wall falling down upon them. She screams as loud as her baby and shuts her eyes, bracing herself for death. But, death does not come. She shivers, expecting the wall to hit them at any moment. Then she peeks open one eye and notices the wall is majestically floating above them. The mother is completely mind-blown. She looks to her right, where a black Tholothian woman in white armor holds her hands up in the air.

The armored woman pushes her hands to the right, and the wall falls out of the mother and her baby's way. The mother looks at her savior approaching. The Tholothian woman helps up the mother. The mother notices a lightsaber attached to the woman's hip. She stares at the Jedi Knight, who picks up her baby and feels its head for any wounds.

"Your child's okay. Come on! I'll get you to safety!" the Jedi Knight encourages the Mikkian mother to follow her.

All across the city Jedi try defending Coruscant's civilians from the Sith's attacks and falling debris. But most of the Jedi are still trying to defend the temple, which is being heavily bombarded by the starfighters attacking it.

"THE TEMPLE'S FALLING!" a Jedi Knight screams.

"WE CAN'T LET THEM TAKE OUR HOME!" another shouts.

* * *

Meanwhile, Darth Venger continues chasing after the kyber crystal as Jedi pass it back and forth to each other. The Sith Lord grows sick of this game. She hurls her lightsaber at a group of Jedi before they can catch the kyber crystal. Her saber twirls back into her hand. Another group of Jedi grab hold of the hovercart and quickly pull it towards the Nu-class transport. They're about to enter the ship with the crystal until a B-Wing bombs them from the sky. The explosion sends the Jedi's bodies flying, and it also penetrates the kyber crystal.

Venger freezes and stares at the crystal, which starts to shake and glow vigorously. The energy inside the massive crystal surges throughout its entire body. Then, an unstable ray of green plasma shoots out of the crystal, vaporizing a group of three Jedi to dust. Darth Venger slightly shivers as the kyber crystal stabilizes and calms back down.

"Nobody hit the crystal…," the Sith gulps at her comlink, "...I repeat _nobody_ hit the kyber crystal."

Suddenly, a blue lightsaber swipes across the Sith Lord's back. Venger screams out and collapses to the ground. She looks up at her attacker and motions to quickly grab her saber. But the saber flies out of her grasp and lands in the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Jedi Master pushes his blue blade towards Venger's face. The defenseless red Twi'lek bears her sharp yellow teeth at him.

"Oh, I've been looking forward to this," Kenobi sassily remarks. "Surrender, and call off your troops. It's over. The Light triumphs over the Dark Side again."

"I wouldn't be too sure of myself," a familiar, elderly man's voice speaks behind Kenobi.

Suddenly, a surge of blue lightning electrocutes Kenobi's entire body. He cries out, collapsing beside Venger and shaking incessantly. As the blue electricity sizzles across his bones and veins, Obi-Wan tries looking up at the source of all this immense power. A figure silhouetted by the sun steps out of the shadow, revealing himself to be none other than Grandmaster Dooku.

The blue lightning stops. Smoke rises all over Kenobi's shivering body as he speechlessly stares at his Grandmaster. Nothing has ever shocked him so physically and figuratively in his entire life. His mind is paralyzed by all the thoughts he's processing. Meanwhile, Dooku bends down and picks up Darth Venger's lightsaber hilt.

"I know how you feel," Dooku starts. "To see someone you always idolized, thought as a friend suddenly stab you in the back. I know what it's like to put your faith in something that you so passionately believed in, and yet all of it meant nothing in the end."

Dooku hands Venger her lightsaber and helps her stand back up. The Twi'lek looks at the Jedi Grandmaster's brown eyes. Dooku nods, and Venger turns around, pushing the kyber crystal towards the Nu-class transport. Dooku looks back down at Kenobi, watching his comrade raise his trembling hand before his lightsaber. But Kenobi fails to muster any energy to move it.

"It was I who commissioned the creation of the clone army," Dooku confirms. "It was I who lead the clones here with my apprentice Darth Venger."

"Wh-wh-why…?" Kenobi still shivers from the electric aftershocks of Dooku's lightning.

"It was time, my friend," Dooku states. "It's been long past time to put an end to this decadent Republic's corruption. The lies, the lobbyists, the cover-ups. This is no longer the democracy we've devoted to defend for the last thousand generations. It's become an oligarchy of the corporate elites, masquerading as generous allies to the middle and lower classes. I'm sure you've realized this. I'm sure others have woken up from the visage as well. But none… none of them possess the will to carry out the deed that must be done."

Dooku picks up Obi-Wan's lightsaber.

"In time, I hope all of you will come to understand that you cannot fix such a system that's been riddled with hypocrisies since its conception. The only way to mend a failed Republic is to burn it all down to the ground and rebuild the foundation from its ashes."

Dooku gently hands Obi-Wan his lightsaber. Then he turns around and leaps off the edge of the terrace, landing on a bronze interstellar sloop which carries him away from the battle. Obi-Wan looks on at Dooku with a bundle of anger, confusion, fear, and… empathy.

 

 


	17. Battle of Coruscant - Game Over

**64.** **MAYDAY!**

The white, red-striped Nu-class transport lifts off. Its two diagonal wings spread open, and it starts to head up into the atmosphere.

"The transport's headed out! All fighters on me!" Saesee Tiin commands.

He, along with Skywalker and the surviving Ace pilots, gather around the transport as it leaves Coruscant.

"Looks like the coast is all clear," a pilot observes that there are no enemy fighters around them.

"Where are we taking it?" Anakin alludes to the crystal.

"Tython. Set coordinates for Tython," Tiin answers.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan slowly stands up as he watches the Nu-class transport fly away. He notices Saesee Tiin's squad form up around the transport to protect it. Kenobi immediately holds up his comlink.

"Master Tiin! The Sith Lord is aboard the transport! The Sith Lord is aboard the transport!"

"WHAT?!" Tiin yells out as the other pilots look at the transport with concern.

Out of nowhere a whole fleet of ships blast out of the clouds and shoot at the Jedi starfighters.

"AMBUSH!" Anakin yells.

The Ace Squadron breaks apart; most of their ships are blasted out of the sky. Master Tiin blows up with his starfighter. Skywalker is sent careening out of the sky.

"I'VE LOST CONTROL OF MY FIGHTER! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! I'M GOING DOWN!" Anakin shouts as the tremendous g-forces cause his head to smash against all sides of the cockpit's transparisteel.

Anakin's fighter wildly lurches and swings back and forth, plummeting towards the planet's city. It brushes past a skyscraper.

"R2!...," Anakin tries to yell.

The astromech droid screams, swiveling around in circles.

"R2! KILL THE ENGINES! SHUT DOWN ALL POWER TO THE SHIP!" Anakin yells as his helmet cracks against the cockpit's glass.

R2 bleeps a protest.

"I'M NOT GONNA EJECT! I CAN'T LEAVE YOU HERE!"

The starfighter slightly scrapes against a building's siding, but the impact was great enough to split off the left wing.

"SHUT DOWN ALL POWER TO THE SHIP!" Anakin swallows the blood sliding down his face.

Immediately, the ship's engines shut off, and Anakin's fighter plummets towards a busy street. The pedestrians scream and run out of the way. Skywalker struggles to hold the rudder opposite to the spin. Then, he applies forward pressure onto the control column to break the stall. He holds the rudder and nose down until the rotation stops. And then, neutralizes the aileron to level the damaged wings.

"ON! ON! TURN 'EM ON AGAIN!" Anakin shouts at R2.

His ship's engines light up just a few feet above a group of people. Anakin immediately tilts the ship's nose up, climbing back at an altitude of fifty feet from the ground. Skywalker breathes heavily, looking straightforward with the shock of near-death on his face. R2 bleeps and flutters his dome. The droid and Anakin look each other, trying to recollect their awareness.

"We're not done yet, buddy," Skywalker pants, looking up at the Nu-class transport escaping with an escort of enemy fighters.

Anakin thrusts the ship towards the atmosphere again. Back on the ground Obi-Wan yells at his comlink.

"Master Tiin?! Do you copy?!"

The transmission responds with static.

"Hello?! Is anyone up there?! This is Obi-Wan Kenobi!"

Anakin hears Obi-Wan's muffled voice chime in.

"Copy, this is Anakin Skywalker. My ship just spiraled out of the air. But, I've regained control now."

"Anakin! Anakin!" Obi-Wan exclaims. "Oh goodness you're still alive. I've tried contacting everybody, but I can't get any signal. Is anyone still up there with you?"

Skywalker tries chiming into the whole squadron's comm signals as he looks around for allies.

"I'll check. Ace Squadron, this is Ace Five. Do you copy?"

Nothing, but a long sound of static.

"Hello?! Can anybody read me?!" Anakin fears the worst.

Nothing responds back, except the ominous sound of static.

"Blast! Hey! I can't get any signals either!"

Obi-Wan gulps and closes his eyes, sighing.

"Anakin, where are you now?" Kenobi shifts subject.

"I'm pursuing the transport towards the atmosphere."

"No. No, Anakin! Do not pursue the ship! You're our only pilot left! We can't afford to lose you!"

"But, the ship's about to jump to hyperspace!" Anakin retorts.

"It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter… you have to regroup here, so we can devise another plan! I repeat… do not follow the ship! That's an order!"

Anakin looks up at the transport as it breaks past the atmosphere and into outer space. He wants to listen to Obi-Wan's words, but he can't. He just continues, following the ship into outer space.

"Anakin? Anakin?! Can you hear me?!" Obi-Wan raises his voice.

"I'm pursuing the ship," Anakin admits. "I can't let them get away… not with Nabi."

"No! Anakin! Stop! I order you to stop and turn back now! You're not going to survive alone! You don't even know where they're headed!"

"Oh, I know…," Anakin watches the transport jump to hyperspace. "And, you do too." Anakin punches in specific coordinates, and the stars around him begin to blur.

"No! Anakin! ANAKIN!"

Anakin's starfighter jumps into hyperspace. Back on Coruscant Obi-Wan receives no response, but static from Anakin's transmission. The Jedi Master looks at his comlink in fear… fear that Anakin will not make it alive, and fear that he'll never see his apprentice Nabi again.

* * *

**65.** **PROJECT DS**

The Nu-class transport blasts out of hyperspace and dives towards the Lucrehulk-class battleship orbiting Lotho Minor. The battleship is still heavily damaged. The crew makes desperate repairs as the Nu-class lands in the hangar bay. Darth Venger hops off the transport before the ramp fully extends, pulling the kyber crystal behind her. She may be battle-scarred and deprived of energy, but she accomplished her mission. The Sith have the kyber crystal.

"Haul the crystal onto a ship!" she commands the crew. "We're evacuating! Relay all troops to Kamino before the Jedi track us here!"

Without waiting for a response, Venger marches through a wrecked corridor. The corpses of her clones still lay across the floor. From the ventilation above two hazel eyes watch the Sith Lord pass through. Once Venger walks by, the lid on the vent slides open, and Nabi quietly drops down into the corridor. She looks around, making sure nobody sees her. Then, she tiptoes into a briefing room and stops before a window. She watches a crew of engineers move the kyber crystal across the hangar bay. Nabi leans closer, mesmerized by the sheer wonder of the crystal.

She accidentally presses a button while leaning. A red hologram of a circular orb projects in front of her. She raises her eyebrows, intrigued by what appears to be a large eye at the northern hemisphere of the orb. Nabi isn't sure if this orb is a planet, moon, or a space station. But whatever it may be, it is labeled as _Project DS_. The Jedi notices eight green shapes within the eye of Project DS. She zooms in on the green shapes and realizes they look exactly like the kyber crystal.

A recording of Dooku's voice from the hologram says: "For maximum output, we estimate eight kyber crystals are necessary. By focusing each crystal's beam on a singular blast of power, we predict that the weapon will be able to bombard the surface of any planet and obliterate it entirely."

Nabi watches a hypothetical holographic demonstration of Project DS shooting a single laser at Coruscant, blowing up the whole planet. The Jedi looks back at the kyber crystal in horror.

"Attention! All personnel!" the P.A. starts to announce.

Nabi looks up at an intercom.

"Evacuate the battleship! We are reassembling at Kamino! I repeat evacuate the battle station!" the P.A. finishes.

Nabi looks back at the crew, whom are now loading the kyber crystal onto a separate ship. Nabi quickly looks around. She spots an elevator, then looks back at the crystal. The Jedi hesitates to do what she's about to, but if the hologram's notes are true, then she has no other choice. Nabi quickly rushes inside the elevator and goes up.

* * *

**66.** **YOU'VE GOT TO HELP HIM**

Just outside of the battleship's perimeter Anakin's starfighter blasts out of hyperspace. He concentrates on the damaged lone Lucrehulk battleship. R2 looks at him and bleeps a question. Anakin doesn't answer for a while, still staring at the battleship before them.

"There's no other way," Anakin finally says. "We have to do this."

R2 asks him another question. Once again, Anakin doesn't answer for a moment.

"I know… I know we might die," Anakin looks down. "But, I think… like we've always done before…"

Skywalker looks at his droid and smirks.

"... we're gonna make it."

He pushes his starfighter forward, ready to engage the whole battle station by himself.

* * *

Back on Coruscant the Jedi Knights and Sith Clones continue fighting across Galactic City and the Jedi Temple. However, the Sith start to retreat as their numbers dwindle. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan rushes around a nearby spaceport, desperately looking around.

"I need a pilot that'll provide transport! Please! I don't have much time! This is an emergency!"

A shaggy-haired man, making repairs to a shuttle, turns around. Obi-Wan notices him; it's Owen Lars.

"What's that you need again?" Owen checks.

Kenobi rushes up to him.

"I need to get to Lotho Minor! Anakin's stuck there. He went to face an entire army by himself!"

Owen solemnly looks away from the Jedi, shaking his head.

"Please…, you've got to help him!" Kenobi pleads.

Owens gulps, remembering everything that Anakin previously told him.

* * *

**67.** **A JEDI'S SACRIFICE**

Back on the battleship Nabi steps out of the elevator and onto the command bridge. Everyone on the bridge is collecting their belongings and hustling out of the area. Everyone, except Nabi. She steps towards the captain's chair. The captain himself bumps into her.

"Hey! Didn't you hear? We're evacuating the ship!" he says.

Nabi ignores him and continues walking towards the bridge's control panels. The captain raises his head, wondering what she's up to. The Jedi Padawan steps up to the ship's steering controls and ignites her lightsaber. Then, she slashes the whole control panel.

In an instant the entire battleship starts to groan, and then in its entirety, it starts tipping over. Anakin stops his fighter, confused by the battleship's descent towards Lotho Minor. All of the personnel inside the battleship start falling backwards and sliding down the floor, which is tilting to a vertical angle. The captain on the command bridge slips into Nabi.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ARE YOU MAD?!" he spits.

The Jedi ignores him and continues slashing through the ship's steering controls. The ship's engines shut off, and all of the power begins to fluctuate. Darth Venger looks up at the flickering lights.

"Captain?! What's happening?!" she spits at her comlink.

"A ROGUE CLONE IS DESTROYING THE BRIDGE'S CONTROLS! WE CAN'T STOP HER!" the defenseless captain yells.

Darth Venger immediately hustles up the tilted floor and climbs her way into an elevator.

"SECURE THE KYBER CRYSTAL! SECURE THE KYBER CRYSTAL!" Venger anxiously yells at her comlink.

She presses the elevator's buttons, and it starts sliding across in a horizontal path.

Back in the command bridge Nabi holds onto a bolted down seat, still slashing at every control monitor. The crew members try grabbing a hold of her, but they lose their grip and fall to their deaths. Outside, Anakin continues staring at the battleship falling towards Lotho Minor. R2 bleeps a curious tone and looks at him.

"I don't know… I don't know what's going on," Anakin looks down in bewilderment.

The elevator arrives at the command bridge. Darth Venger leaps out of it. She looks at her crew member's bodies falling down from the bridge above. And, she also spots Nabi slashing away at the controls.

Venger's eyes widen. She grits her teeth and ignites her lightsaber, then starts leaping her way up towards Nabi. The Jedi Padawan looks down after hearing a lightsaber ignition. She's not surprised to see Venger at all. She looks back up and continues slashing the controls, while also climbing away from the Sith Lord.

A crew member's body falls towards Venger. She slices through his body and pushes upwards. She arrives right under Nabi's boot. The Sith Lord swings for her feet, but Nabi raises herself by doing a pull-up. The Jedi swings back at Venger, and Venger parries the swing.

"What are you doing?!" the Sith Lord logically asks. "You're gonna kill us all!"

She grabs onto Nabi's boot, and Nabi kicks her in the face. Then the Jedi force pushes her, and the Sith falls back down. Venger grabs hold of a bolted down seat with one hand and covers her bloody nose with the other.

Anakin chases after the Lucrehulk battleship as it falls through Lotho Minor's atmosphere.

"R2! DIVERT ALL POWER TO THE ENGINES! GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU GOT!" he grits.

His starfighter's blue thrusters turn bright and yellow. It zooms down after the battleship.

Back inside the command bridge, Venger and Nabi struggle to hang on against the force of gravity. Venger reaches out her arm and tries force pulling Nabi down towards her. The Jedi feels her pull; her hands start slipping away from her leverage. Venger leans forward, pulling harder with the Force. Nabi resists, pushing her hand out to send a force of her own. Venger is slightly phased by the force push, but she continues pulling Nabi towards her. The two Force users engage in a tug-of-war, struggling to resist each other's mighty powers.

Meanwhile, Anakin focuses on the battleship as he darts towards it. There's no other place where all of his energy is invested. It is on that battleship. It is… on Nabi.

"I'm not leaving you… not this time…," Anakin whispers.

Nabi looks up at the dusty clouds through the command bridge's windows. She notices a bright yellow blotch, possibly a ship, coming down towards her. Anakin pushes his toggle forwards at full speed. He and the battleship nosedive to the planet's surface. Feeling the g-forces rip at his entire face, Anakin gradually lets out a cry of agony as the Lucrehulk battleship crashes into the ground. His starfighter flies right into the immense clouds of smoke, disappearing.

* * *

**68.** **GAME OVER**

The Lucrehulk battleship continues to crash into the planet's trash mountains and wasteland, ripping apart everything in its wake. The ship's metal armor ripples and splinters like wood. Its power conduits explode, starting a chain reaction of explosions throughout the ship.

After a long while, the crash-landing finally rumbles to a halt. Inside the wreckage the kyber crystal glows incessantly, ready to burst unlimited energy at any moment. Beside the crystal Nabi's body lays face first on the ground. Behind her Venger also lays on the ground.

The two women move ever so slowly as if they've reached old age. Their bodies having survived battles, abuse, and now a crash from outer space. It's a miracle that they're still breathing. Venger and Nabi look at each other; their eyes, swollen and tired. But despite all the pain they're in, they both crawl towards their lightsabers laying on the ground before them.

The Sith grabs her saber first, igniting it. Nabi, all bloodied and swollen with black eyes, lifts up her shaky hand. Her lightsaber dribbles on the floor. She struggles to move it towards her as Venger starts to stagger onto her feet. The Sith clutches her stomach while breathing irregularly. Her muscular legs wobble, and she starts stumbling towards the Jedi Padawan.

Nabi crawls closer to her lightsaber as she hears the Sith Lord's footsteps grow closer. Nabi coughs out blood flowing all over her mouth. Darth Venger continues to stumble towards Nabi despite all of the shattered bones and torn muscles in her toughened body. The pain somehow fuels Venger. She feeds off it as if it provides her the will to finish the mission.

Nabi almost reaches her lightsaber. Her fingers are just about to touch it, but then Venger kicks it a few yards away from her. Nabi's black eyes frown hopelessly, knowing this is the end. The Sith Lord kneels on top of Nabi's back and pulls her head up.

"Imbecile!" Venger spits blood. "You just… don't know when to lay down… and die! You sacrifice yourself… for what? Honor? Heroism?"

Venger cradles Nabi's shivering head against her stomach, exposing her entire neck for the final cut. The Sith brushes her fingers through the Jedi's hair, almost massaging her.

"I didn't want to kill you at first…," Venger's voice shakes. "You're just… a pawn… brainwashed…, but I realized… you're far too lost to realize the truth."

Nabi's swollen eyes let out a flood of tears. Her bloody nose sniffles as her face glistens with sweat and tears. Venger's black glove wipes the tears flowing down Nabi's cheeks.

"Don't be afraid," the Twi'lek looks at her with sincere brown eyes.

Nabi hears her soothing whisper and nods, closing her eyes and finding… peace. Venger raises her lightsaber in the air and brings it crashing down. Suddenly, a tremendous wind blasts Venger's body away. The Twi'lek slams into the ground, almost fifteen feet away from Nabi.

Nabi stares at Venger's body in shock and then she looks at her lightsaber, which starts to float in the air without her control. Nabi's lightsaber suddenly flies back. She turns around, and her jaw drops at the sight of Anakin Skywalker holding onto her lightsaber. Anakin stands atop the kyber crystal, igniting the saber's blue blade. He looks down at Nabi with care, then he blinks before his eyes tear up. He looks at Nabi's lightsaber, almost shocked that it's in his hand. Then, he looks at the Sith Lord slowly rising.

Darth Venger stares at Skywalker, completely dumbfounded. She tries to remember who he is, but she's never met him before. The Sith Lord stares at him, not knowing what to do. But then she looks at the blue lightsaber he wields, nearly touching the kyber crystal's surface. Anakin stares the Sith Lord dead in the eye.

"Game… over," he says.

"NO!" Venger pleads. "NO! NO WAIT!"

Anakin stabs the lightsaber right into the kyber crystal and sears it across its wall. Darth Venger desperately force pushes Anakin away, and he slams into a wall, falling down. The Sith Lord rushes to calm the rupturing crystal, but a bolt of green lightning shoots out of its sparkling walls and strikes her entire body.

Darth Venger is electrocuted while standing up. She cries out as her head and body vigorously shake as if she has a major seizure. Her lekkus flail everywhere. The green electricity burns through her bones and melts through her skin and eyeballs. Then, the spark of lightning warps and blasts her body away. She flips over, splashing into a deep pool of sewage. Her motionless, limp body slowly sinks all the way to the bottom.

* * *

**69.** **YOU'RE MY HERO**

Anakin staggers back to his feet, looking up at the kyber crystal's unstoppable energy incinerating everything around it. He realizes he may have made a mistake. Walls from the capsized battleship crumble away and fly towards the crystal, vaporized in an instant. The heavy metal ceiling caves in and starts collapsing towards the crystal. Everything is pulled by the kyber crystal's invisible force and disintegrated by its unlimited power.

Anakin rushes to Nabi. Her broken, little body lays limp on the ground.

"Nabi! Nabi!" Anakin holds up her bloody face. "I'm here! I'm here!"

Nabi struggles to look up at him through her tired black eyes.

"Anakin…," she whispers as blood streams out of her mouth.

R2 rolls up to them, bleeping frantically.

"Come on! Let's get out of here," Anakin throws Nabi's weak arm over his shoulder and lifts her into his arms.

He stumbles away from the kyber crystal as the whole room collapses behind them.

"Come on… I got you… I got you… We're almost there…," Anakin looks at Nabi's blood-ridden face slowly fading consciousness.

Anakin spots his yellow starfighter, awaiting them in the distance. R2 is already there, anxious to leave right away. Suddenly, the entire earth shakes beneath their feet as the crystal ruptures apart. Anakin stumbles a bit, then regains his balance, still rushing towards the starfighter.

"Don't worry Nabi… I got you… I've got you…," Anakin squeezes her tight.

The ground starts to crack into multiple sections. Rays of green plasma shoot up into the air as the whole Lucrehulk shipwreck starts to disintegrate. Another massive explosion rocks the entire earth, sending Anakin and Nabi to the ground. A huge crack begins to form around the starfighter. R2 looks around quickly, realizing the whole ground is collapsing around him.

"R2!" Anakin yells as he force pulls the droid away from the earthquake.

The yellow starfighter falls down between the ruptured tectonic plates… all the way to the depths of the abyss. R2 and Anakin hopelessly stare at the hole where the fighter once was.

"You shaved your beard," Nabi's voice suddenly croaks.

The clean-shaven Anakin looks down at her and gasps with relief.

"Nabi! Are… are you okay?" he asks.

Nabi's wet, blood-ridden and black-eyed face looks at him.

"Do I look like I'm okay?"

They both chuckle and smirk. Nabi peers at Anakin closely and tilts her head.

"You came back for me… Why?"

Anakin looks down at the ground and gulps. He tries to steady his breathing.

"I'm sorry…," he says, "...for everything I've done to you. I shouldn't have been such a jerk."

"You're sorry?" Nabi smiles. "I'm the one that should be sorry here. I… I destroyed your ship and acted so annoying the whole way. I'm… such a self-conceited jerk who doesn't deserve to be a Jedi."

"No…," Anakin chuckles, "...no, you're not. You're far from a jerk."

Nabi chuckles weakly. They both go silent again. Anakin starts to move his hand closer to hers.

"Nabi… I… I wanted to say…," he looks at her hazel eyes and gulps. "For so long I gave up everything I knew… and became something I didn't want to be."

Anakin reminisces about his past.

"I lost myself… everyone around me… and it was… it was because I made such a stupid mistake a long time ago. When you came… you helped me realize… what I had to do to be myself again."

Nabi's swollen eyes start to twinkle as tears already flow down Anakin's face.

"You're my hero Nabi," he smirks.

"You're my hero too Anakin," she sits up with all her strength and kisses his lips.

The two embrace each other as the whole kyber crystal explodes like an atomic bomb behind them. The enormous, radioactive explosion creates a large mushroom cloud and a devastating blast wave that tumbles straight towards Nabi and Anakin. The two continue kissing as the whole world crumbles around them. They don't care. Nothing else matters to them anymore. They have each other, and that's all they need.

Nabi caresses Anakin's face and looks into his deep blue eyes. Anakin caresses Nabi's swollen hazel eyes and kisses her sweaty forehead. They both lean in and hug each other, closing their eyes as the impending blast wave barrels towards them. From above, a shuttle dives down. Its door opens, and Obi-Wan steps out, hanging onto the ship as it circles around Nabi and Anakin. They don't even realize Kenobi's yelling above them. They kiss once again as the whole earth rises above their heads like a monster tsunami. Suddenly, Anakin and Nabi, as well as R2, lift up into the air.

Then the blast wave swallows everything in its path. The whole planet ruptures to its core. And for a long, silent moment… there's a sense of peace as if nothing had ever occurred. Suddenly, out of the rubble the shuttle blasts away, up into the atmosphere. Inside the shuttle, alarms wail and red lights flash everywhere. Obi-Wan helps Nabi and Anakin onto their feet.

"They're on board! Set for take-off!" Kenobi commands the shuttle's captain.

"Right on it!" Owen Lars pushes the toggle forwards.

The shuttle struggles to stay in front of the blast wave arching over it. Owen tries outrunning the wave, but the debris nips the shuttle's engines. Anakin is surprised to see Owen manning the cockpit. He stumbles towards his old friend.

"I've got the wheel! You take the coordinates!" he commands.

"Oh, I'm glad you said that," Owen remarks.

They switch to their respective places. Nabi rushes behind Anakin as he maneuvers the ship around the debris flying everywhere.

"Make the jump to hyperspace!" Anakin yells.  
"What?! Now?!" Owen looks out, noticing they're not even past the atmosphere yet.

"PUNCH IT!"

Without hesitation, Owen yanks down the light speed lever, and the ship blasts out of the planet's atmosphere and into hyperspace.

 

 


	18. Birth of a Jedi - The End

**70.** **A DIVIDED REPUBLIC**

The whole world of Coruscant struggles to recover from the aftermath of the battle. Buildings are leveled. Entire streets are ripped apart. Debris from ships, speeders, and skyscrapers are scattered everywhere. The corpses of Sith and Jedi are sprawled across the ground or dangling from overhangs around the city. Injured civilians are rushed to fully occupied hospitals, and search and rescue teams dig for those that are still buried beneath the rubble.

A blue female Pantoran news reporter speaks, "Despite the end of the attack and the Jedi's victory, there's civil unrest among the Senate and the public over who is responsible for the collateral damage inflicted across the planet."

During a press conference, citizens of the Republic overwhelm Chancellor Kryze with a barrage of shouting and slurs.

"YOU PROMISED YOU'D PREVENT THIS WAR!" a man yells.

"WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE PEACE TREATY YOU PROPOSED?!"

The outraged citizens keep shouting while Vice Chancellor Palpatine tries to calm the disorder.

"Everyone, please settle down!" he demands.

Satine tries to speak on the podium, "Everyone, I understand your concerns. And I promise that we're doing the best we can to repair the damages."

"What about the Jedi?!" a citizen yells. "Are they going to repay us for what they've done!? All of our businesses are practically destroyed!"

People agree and applaud the citizen's words.

"Screw your businesses! If it wasn't for the Jedi, you wouldn't be alive!" a pink Mikkian woman shouts amongst the commotion.

The crowd stops yelling and turns to look at the Mikkian woman, who cradles a baby against her.

"My daughter and I…," the Mikkian mother wipes her watery eyes, "... we almost died in that battle. But, this one Jedi… she gave me and my daughter… a second chance to live."

"Oh, how lucky for you!" a tan Zabrak woman stomps up to her.

The Mikkian mother is taken aback by the woman's apparent disrespect.

"While you were hugging your child and cradling her…," the Zabrak woman starts to break down, "... I was carrying the corpses of my sons! All three of them! Crushed underneath our apartment! Now, you tell me how the Jedi saved us. YOU TELL ME HOW THE JEDI SAVED MY SONS!"

The Zabrak mother collapses to the floor and sobs as the rest of the crowd starts yelling at the Chancellor again. The mob surrounds Satine's podium. Republic Security Forces try pushing the crowd, blaring riot horns in front of their faces. Satine covers her ears as the horns obnoxiously screech. She looks at all of her people – furious and pointing their fingers at her. Satine steps back from the podium, watching the Republic she's loved for her entire life fall apart.

* * *

**71.** **AN INEVITABLE WAR**

The surviving Jedi try cleaning up the remains of their shattered temple. The remains of fallen Padawans, Knights, and Masters are placed inside coffins. Their lightsabers are preserved along with them. Inside what remains of the High Council Chambers each surviving master convenes over the aftermath of the battle. Obi-Wan reads the death toll report.

"A hundred and sixty-eight Jedi. Twelve-thousand and two-hundred civilians."

The Jedi Master gulps.

"This is the worst attack the Republic has faced in centuries."

"They're blaming us for the destruction," Plo Koon recalls the citizens' anger.

"Us?!" a heavily scarred Rahm Kota exclaims.

He walks forward with a bionic leg; an eyepatch covers his right eye.

" _We_ saved them! It's Dooku they should blame! Not us! The bastard turned against his own people and slaughtered them! He's gonna pay for what he did! Mark my words!"

Rahm storms out of the room, ready to hunt down their former Grandmaster. The rest of the Jedi Masters stand silently as they still struggle to process their former friend's betrayal.

Luminara Unduli timidly looks up at her colleagues, "So is war truly inevitable?"

Aayla Secura sighs, "I'm afraid so."

The pale Cerean Ki-Ad-Mundi steps forward.

"Dooku has already started organizing an alliance of systems near his home planet Serenno. Is he attempting to form a resistance against the Republic?"

"He wants more than a resistance," Obi-Wan says. "He wants to start a new Republic."

* * *

A bronze interstellar sloop blasts out of hyperspace. Its ancient, reflective oval sail starts to patiently retract in the most elegant motion the stars have ever witnessed. The sloop's two bow prongs fold in towards the orb-shaped cockpit while it descends into Lotho Minor's darkened atmosphere. A low buzz tails the solar sailer as it skims the planet's overturned landscape.

Trash barely litters the surface. Only ash, rubble, and deep gargantuan cracks split within the planet's crust can be seen for hundreds of miles. It's as if a combination of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and asteroid impacts devastated the whole environment and reshaped it into a new unrecognizable planet. The interstellar sloop zooms towards a vast, deep crater with a radius stretching just over three-hundred miles.

The sloop descends over the crater, landing right in its epicenter. A landing ramp extends out and a brown-cloaked Dooku steps down. He looks around at his extensive recovery team dressed in grey hazmat suits. The team members hold out portable energy signature detectors, scanning each crack and crevice cut deep into the crater. Some of the recovery team look up at the elegantly robed Dooku, taken aback by the absence of any radiation protection on his body.

One of the hazmat crew members walks up to Dooku.

"Sir, we've yet to detect any energy signatures within the vicinity. But, we have located her remains."

"Bring her to me," Dooku orders.

"Sir, is it really possible for the crystal to remain intact after such an implosion?"

"Absolutely!" the former Jedi confidently states.

He stops in his tracks and looks to one particular crack in the crater, then he reaches out his hand. The earth surrounding the crack starts to shake. The recovery team turns and gawks at the sight they're witnessing. The crashing of massive rocks and rubble reverberate from within the crack. It's as if another earthquake is about to come from the sheer force of Dooku's power. Then a single green, pinky-sized jewel majestically floats out of the crack. It glows like a little firefly as it lands in Dooku's soft palm.

"There is still much to the Force you have yet to learn," Dooku tells the recovery team.

His brown eyes reflect the sparkling crystal while he pinches it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Sir! The body!" a hazmat crew approaches with a hover-casket.

Dooku slips the kyber crystal in his pocket and gravely looks down at the casket. The casket's lid slides open a tiny bit, revealing a charred red lekku etched with black tattoos. Dooku caresses the lekku; a slight expression of sorrow washes over his face.

"I could have told her everything," Dooku says, almost speaking to himself.

"I could have given her all the answers. But, that is no way to conduct a test. A test that she most certainly exceeded."

The casket's lid closes over Darth Venger's melted and disfigured, one-eyed face.

* * *

**72.** **GOODBYES**

Each surviving member of the Jedi Order gathers around those that sacrificed their lives during the Battle of Coruscant. The deceased are blanketed with covers bearing the symbol of the Jedi Order. The hooded survivors gather around, looking down. Obi-Wan provides a eulogy.

"As Jedi we do not ask why death has visited us, for we have already been granted the wisdom to understand it. Death is a natural part of life, merely a transition from the physical matter we inhabit to our pure spiritual energy. Just as life is drawn from the Force upon birth. Life returns to the Force upon death.

We are thankful for the memories of those who were dear to us. Do not mourn for their loss, for they would want us to celebrate the life they cherished. Remember them as they were, for that connection lives on in each and every one of our hearts… forever.

May the Force be with them… May the Force be with us all."

"May the Force be with you," the rest of the Jedi bless the fallen.

They reach out their hands, and slowly all of the blanketed souls are lowered down beneath the floor. The floor closes and rays of yellow lights shoot up into the ceiling. Yellow sparkles of stardust slowly sprinkle down, providing life to the galaxy once more.

Anakin, Nabi, Obi-Wan, and Owen Lars exit the procession amongst the other Jedi.

They all arrive at the hangar bay. Owen steps towards the shuttle from earlier.

"So…," he looks at Anakin, "... you're not gonna change your mind, are ya?"

Anakin, now suited in his old dark-brown and black Jedi robes, looks down and bites his lip. He doesn't want to upset his friend again. Owen sets his hand on Anakin's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, Anakin. You're living your own life now. Not listening to pricks like me anymore."

"Oh… come on… you weren't that bad," Anakin says.

"Really? I mean I did remember… I was _pretty_ bad," Owen remarks.

"Well…, stealing a few crates of spice from the Hutts wasn't _that_ bad."

"Oh yeah…? Remember when I pickpocketed Aurra Sing, and she started a whole witch hunt after us?"

"Okay," Anakin chuckles, "That… _that_ was pretty bad. I mean… I don't even know how we survived that one."

"I remember you kept trying to pick up that box of jewelry as they kept pulling it back towards 'em," Owen laughs.

"That was such a stupid chase. I had them outrunned for at least two miles, and somehow that damn tractor beam kept pulling me back! That was so embarrassing."

"I know… I was embarrassed to be associated with you."

They both chuckle.

"Nothing's gonna beat that Jablogian prison though. Sheesh! Was that suffocating?"

"Yeah… fed crap… treated like crap… _that_ was pretty bad," Owen shakes his head.

They both grow silent, reminiscing about past memories. Owen sighs.

"Yeah…, we've been through a lot of rough patches in our lives."

"Yeah…," Anakin solemnly looks down.

Lars figures it's time. He turns around and extends the landing ramp to his shuttle. He walks up as Anakin looks on feeling a little guilty.

"Owen!"

Lars looks back down at him.

"I may be here right now…, but maybe after all of this is through… I hope to see you on the other side again."

"I hope so too," Owen grins.

"Don't run too far away from me now," Anakin smirks.

"Oh… I'll find the most deserted, sandy planet in the outer rim that you'll never wanna come visit me."

"Oh, come on! You know I hate sand!" Skywalker says.

Owen laughs and enters his shuttle. Anakin smiles as Lars' shuttle lifts up and takes off into the atmosphere.

"So Anakin…," Obi-Wan walks up to him. "Since Nabi and I will be going our separate ways, we've been discussing whether you'd be interested in continuing your apprenticeship."

"Is this an offer?" Anakin raises his eyebrow and looks at Nabi.

She mouths the words, "Go ahead."

Anakin looks at Kenobi again, considering the Jedi Master's offer. Obi-Wan continues.

"I know you began your training with Master Yoda - arguably the greatest Jedi among us. But I was taught by him too, and I think you'll be impressed by my teaching ability."

"Nabi, how well would you rate his teaching ability?" Anakin asks her.

Kenobi chuckles.

"Well…, sometimes he can get a little bit on your nerves being pretentious, but I-

"Pretentious?!" Obi-Wan interrupts. "I think I should withhold your passage to knighthood, my young Padawan."

"See? The most pretentious Jedi you're ever going to meet," Nabi smiles.

Kenobi folds his arms and rolls his eyes.

"Well…, I think I can deal with pretentiousness," Anakin eyes Kenobi, "... as long as they don't tell me what to do every time."

"Oh no… I can already tell the rebel you are, Anakin. I'd have a better time training a Rancor how to sit than telling you what to do."

All three of them chuckle. Then a short moment of silence follows afterwards.

"Well…, I guess I'm gonna go pay my mom a visit now," Anakin looks at them.

"I'll see you guys later!"

They bid farewell to him as he steps aboard his new yellow Jedi Starfighter and lifts a shiny R2-D2 in place. Nabi watches Anakin flip on the switch to the engine and slip his white helmet on. Anakin starts to close down the hatch around the cockpit.

"Wait! Anakin!" she rushes towards the fighter and stops the hatch.

"Yeah?" Anakin looks at her.

"Your mom once told me… that you should follow your passions… and be your own hero. To not let anybody else control your future for you. Because this is your life…"

"... and it's _my_ destiny I have to fulfill," Anakin finishes.

"Anakin… I… I feel like I'm controlling you. I don't want you to become a Jedi solely because of me," Nabi says.

"You're not… you're not, Nabi. This is what I truly want to be. This _is_ my destiny."

He looks into her eyes, and she looks into his. Her heart aches to kiss him a farewell, but she knows Obi-Wan is watching.

"Then you go get 'em, grumps," she smiles at Anakin and steps away.

"I will, snips," he smiles back.

Anakin closes the hatch and starts to take off. R2 looks at Nabi.

"Bye R2!" she waves.

The blue droid chirps a farewell as the starfighter takes off into the sunset. Obi-Wan steps up to Nabi while squinting on at Anakin's starfighter. The Jedi Master scratches his beard, sensing a strong relationship between the two; a relationship that would be forbidden by the Jedi Code. But, he leaves off his suspicions for the time being.

"So…," Nabi turns around to her master, "... I guess it's time to start the Trials."

"Yes…, you better get a move on," Obi-Wan smirks.

Master and apprentice look at each other, reminiscing about their journeys.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," she addresses. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"It has been an honor, Nabi," the Jedi Master bows. "It has been my honor to see you grow from the little girl I once knew to the mature woman standing in front of me today. You are worthy of being a Jedi Knight."

Nabi smiles and tries to hold back her tears.

"And, you were a worthy master," she says.

They both want to hug each other like father and daughter, but they know they cannot.

"May the Force be with you, Master."

"May the Force be with you, Nabi… always."

They both walk towards the Jedi Temple together.

* * *

**73.** **I HAVE THE TRUTH MY SON**

Anakin lands his starfighter a few blocks away from his mom's apartment. He hops out.

"Come on, R2! You've gotta meet my mother."

R2 bleeps and shakes his dome.

"Oh please! I know you wanna make fun of how stupid my life was as a kid. Now, come on."

R2 shakes his dome again.

"She could whip up an oil bath for you…," Anakin tempts Chop.

The droid looks at him and thinks about it for a moment. Then, he ejects from the ship and follows along.

R2 bleeps at Skywalker.

"I'm not lying to you! Trust me… it'll feel like being at the maintenance spa."

Anakin approaches the apartment and presses the buzzer next to the door.

"Miss Skywalker… you have a special delivery," Anakin smiles, looking up at the apartment's windows.

Nobody answers the door. Anakin waits a few seconds, then presses the buzzer again.

"Miss Skywalker… are you awake, yet? I need you to sign some papers, please," Anakin jokes.

Once again, nobody answers the door.

"Hmm…," Anakin scratches his head.

R2 bleeps, noticing something tucked beneath a crack on the sidewalk.

"What is it? Don't tell me you found a gold tooth again," Anakin checks inside the crack.

He raises his eyebrows, carefully pulling out a silver lightsaber hilt from the crack.

"It's my lightsaber," Anakin inspects it, "... I wonder how it-

Anakin freezes, noticing the dry blood stain of a handprint on his hilt. He gulps and looks up at the apartment's door. Anakin takes matters into his own hands. He opens the door himself with the Force and steps inside. The young man stops and drops his lightsaber on the floor upon entering.

All across the room lay broken chairs, tipped over sofas, shattered plates, peeled away walls. It's as if a tornado ripped through the entire apartment. Blood stains blotch the floors, furniture, walls, and ceiling. Some are handprints, some are footprints. But, Anakin knows they all belong to one person only. He imagines her voice crying out in horror.

Anakin approaches a projection of a family holopic where his youthful self is sitting beside his mother. At least what was once his mother. Her face isn't there anymore. It's been digitally distorted and erased from the hologram.

Beneath Shmi's headless body are the words: _SHE LIED TO YOU_

And beneath an innocent little Anakin are the words: _I HAVE THE TRUTH MY SON_

Anakin stares at the words with sharp eyes. His face vibrates to a red shade, and his pupils dilate to a blaze of fiery yellow.

* * *

**74.** **BIRTH OF A JEDI**

Padawan Nabi Freedom steps before two gigantic doors inside the Jedi Temple. Behind them is the legendary chamber of the Jedi Trials. Only those who seek knighthood may enter. Only those who grant knighthood may enter. Nabi gulps, realizing this is her final test.

The doors to the chamber suddenly open by themselves. Nabi steps back, peering deep into the darkness within. She wonders if she should enter. She wonders if it is safe to enter. After a long moment of silence and hesitation, Nabi enters the chamber.

Her silhouette crosses through the ray of light between the open doors. Suddenly, the light is sucked away as the doors shut. Now, the room is consumed by pitch black darkness. Nabi's footsteps stop. She looks around at the darkness. There is no noise. There is no smell. There is no feeling, besides emptiness.

Then in an instant, eight lightsabers ignite around her. Each master of the Jedi High Council surround Nabi. The Jedi Padawan looks at all of the master's hooded faces illuminated by the beam of their blades. Nabi recognizes Master Luminara Unduli, Master Shaak Ti, Master Adi Gallia, Master Even Piell, Master Sinube, Master Kit Fisto, Master Plo Koon, Master Rahm Kota and of course her own master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Nabirye Freedom," Master Luminara says her full name. "Step forward, please."

Nabi turns around and approaches her. Luminara points her green lightsaber down. Nabi kneels before her. The rest of the Jedi point their lightsabers towards the floor. Luminara hovers her blade over Nabi's right shoulder.

"A knight is sworn to valor.

Their heart knows only virtue."

Luminara crosses her blade to Nabi's left shoulder.

"Their blade defends the helpless.

Their word speaks only truth."

Luminara crosses her blade to Nabi's right.

"Their shield shelters the forsaken.

Their courage gives hope to the despaired."

Luminara crosses her blade to Nabi's left.

"Their justice breaks the darkness.

Their presence springs light."

Luminara crosses her blade to Nabi's right.

"Nabirye Freedom, do you accept all that is required of you as a Knight of the Jedi Order?"

Nabi looks up at her and blinks in hesitation.

"I-I do…, but… I didn't take any test. Don't I have to pass the Trials first?"

Luminara smiles at her graciously.

"You already have."

Nabi is taken aback. She looks at Obi-Wan, who's proudly smiling at her. Nabi smiles back a thank you.

"Then, by the right of the Council," Luminara continues, "by the will of the Force, I now pronounce you Nabirye Freedom, _Knight of the Jedi Order!_ "

Luminara cuts away Nabi's Padawan braid. Knight Nabirye Freedom stands tall. Above her hundreds of lightsabers ignite. They glow all the way to the top… to the far beyond. All of the Jedi hold their hands out towards Nabi. The Jedi Knight starts to feel her feet lift off the floor. Her body slowly rises to the ceiling where a bright, white light awaits her.

"I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace…," all of the Jedi Masters recite.

"Where there is hatred I shall bring love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

The Force is always with me…"

The white light consumes Nabi and christens her with a new outfit that is pure white.

"... for I… am a Jedi," Nabi finishes.

A new Jedi is born.

 

 

 

THE END

* * *

**Final Author's Note:**

Well, this is it. For anybody who did happen to read this all the way to the end, I honestly can't express how thankful I am. This was my first fan-fiction I've ever published online. And, it was a great challenge to try writing this as if these were actual films. There are some things I do wish I could have written differently. I sometimes think I could've gone in a different direction. But, I thought of this story concept ever since I first saw Ahsoka in the Clone Wars series. And it was my wonder of, what if Anakin Skywalker had fallen in love with a Jedi? And it was this Jedi who would become the mother of Luke and Leia?

It was a risky direction I was willing to take. But that was how my version of the prequels would look like. I opted to replace Padme Amidala with my own character Nabi Freedom, who is heavily inspired by Ahsoka. I wanted to depict a playful romance for Anakin and have him work together with his romantic interest, which is also why I wanted his love to be a Jedi.

If I do happen to continue this into a trilogy, you will see where I'll take Nabi and Anakin's stories. I've always outlined and envisioned what would happen from Episode I to III. But currently, I don't know if I'm going to do it.

To be brutally honest, I don't know if I wasted my time writing all of this. I'm not really sure if it was worth it in the end. And I don't know if people really want to read this. A part of me was very passionate to tell the rest of this story. But I also feel like moving on and figuring out my life. I'm in my college years worrying about a lot of things, and my mental state hasn't been in the best place lately. So until the day comes where I feel inspiration to write again, this is goodbye.

 

 


End file.
